Muscat: Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) won stage 2 of the Tour of Oman, on Friday, on the Suhar Waterfront.
Following a rough winter with a serious crash at the end of 2021, the British star dominated the sprint against Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Amaury Capiot (Arkea-Samsic). Cavendish also takes the red leader’s jersey from Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates). After a flat day through the wind, stage 3 will bring different challenges with a rolling route and an uphill finish in Qurayyat.
It’s another sunny start, from Naseem Park, for the 99 riders remaining in the Tour of Oman after Alexander Konychev’s abandonment. The wind is also present, with 167.5km to cover along the coast, and attackers immediately bring battle.
Antonio Angulo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Stephen Clancy (Team Novo Nordisk) are the first riders to jump ahead of the bunch.
The gap is already up to 3’40’’ at km 16. Fernando Gaviria’s UAE Team Emirates and Mark Cavendish’s Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team bring the attackers’ lead down to 2’25’’ after 50km. The Oman National Selection and Kaden Groves’ Bike-Exchange-Jayco also send a man at the front of the bunch.
Angulo dominates the first intermediate sprint in Al Hadib (km 61). Cavendish takes the third place from the bunch and puts more pressure on Gaviria’s leader jersey - the Manx missile only trails by 1’’ overall!
The intense finale on the coastline
The gap is down to 2’25’’ as they enter the last 50km. Angulo takes the points again at the second intermediate sprint, where Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) snatches 1 bonus second. Team DSM accelerates through the wind and the early attackers are caught just inside the last 30km.
Gabriel Muller (Burgos-BH) tests his legs with 25km to go. He quickly opens a 50’’ gap but the peloton reacts and catches him 10km later. Riders from the Oman National Selection also appear determined to shake up the peloton and prevent a mass sprint. But nobody could prevent Cavendish from taking off to his first victory of the season.
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