Key points:
The 3rd edition of the Muscat Classic (7 February) precedes new confrontations on the roads of the Tour of Oman (8-12 February), held since 2010.
18 teams are preparing to battle it out in the desert, including Adam Yates’ UAE Team Emirates XRG.
The race promises renewed fireworks, with nervy finishes and a grand finale on the slopes of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain).
A classic and a stage race: the peloton is once again preparing for the double challenge presented every year on the roads of the Sultanate of Oman. And as usual, the punchiest riders will be in the limelight, starting with the Muscat Classic (7 February), and then the Tour of Oman (8-12 February).
For its 3rdedition, the Muscat Classic maintains its hilly route between Al Mouj and Al Bustan with a nervous finale marked by the ascents of Bousher Al Amerat (3.4km at 8.8%), Wadi Al Kadir (2.1km at 7.3%), Al Hamriyah (0.8km at 9.8%) and Al Jissah (1.4km at 9%). This sequence of climbs saw Finn Fisher-Black take off to a solo win last year, before going on to take a stage victory in the Tour of Oman, in Qurayyat.
This year, the peloton will tackle the 14th edition of the Tour of Oman with a new finish at Bimmah Sink Hole, in the east of the Sultanate. Sprinters will aim for victory on the 1-kilometre-long final straight after a wind-exposed finish on the shores of the Sea of Oman.
A first battle between puncheurs is expected the following day, on the heights surrounding Muscat. After a start from Al Rustaq Fort, the finish promises to be explosive, with the Qantab climb (2.6km at 6.5%), crossed with 10km to go, and the ascent of Yitti Hills (1.6km at 7%), the summit of which lies 800m from the finish line.
The intensity will increase again with stage 3, on the slopes of Eastern Mountain (4.6km at 8.5%). Inaugurated in 2023, with Matteo Jorgenson’s first professional victory, before being cancelled last year due to the exceptional weather conditions that hit Oman, the climb promises a merciless selection with its stark changes of gradient.
The peloton, and especially the sprinters, will then return to a mostly flat terrain between the Oman Across Ages Museum and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (stage 4). In 2024, Caleb Ewan was the fastest on this route, with a 700m slightly uphill final straight.
The road will really rise for the final stage, with the usual rendezvous on the terrible slopes of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain): 5.7km at 10.5%. Adam Yates was the last rider to triumph here. Who will succeed him in 2025?
The British star’s team, UAE Team Emirates XRG, will be back at the start, along with Jorgenson’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike and seven other UCI WorldTour teams, five UCI ProTeams and three UCI Continental teams. The line-up is completed by the Omani national team, who will be facing the international stars of the discipline for the fourth year in a row.
Muscat Classic
Friday 7 February: Al Mouj > Al Bustan (174km)
The stages of the Tour of Oman 2025
Stage 1, Saturday 8 February: Bushar > Bimmah Sink Hole (170km)
Stage 2, Sunday 9 February: Al Rustaq Fort > Yitti Hills (203km)
Stage 3, Monday 10 February: Fanja > Eastern Mountain (181km)
Stage 4, Tuesday 11 February: Oman Across Ages Museum > Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (181.5km)
Stage 5, Wednesday 12 February: Imty > Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (139km)
The 18 teams
WTT – UCI WorldTeams (9)
Arkéa B&B Hotels
XDS Astana Team
Groupama-FDJ
Movistar Team
Soudal Quick-Step
Team Picnic PostNL
Team Jayco AlUla
UAE Team Emirates XRG
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
PRT – UCI ProTeams (5)
Burgos-BH
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Uno-X Mobility
TotalEnergies
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
CTM – UCI Continental Teams (3)
JCL Team Ukyo
Roojai Online Insurance
Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team
National Team
Oman National Team
