Muscat: Swiss rider Mauro Schmid edged defending Tour of Oman champion Adam Yates in a thrilling finish to take the top honours in the fourth Muscat Classic 2026 in Al Bustan on Friday.
The Team Jayco AlUla cyclist completed the 176.2 km race from Al Mouj to Al Bustan in 4 hours 14 minutes and 36 seconds. British rider Yates of UAE Emirates XRG came second in the same time while Schmid’s Australian teammate Luke Plapp finished third (+04) in a sprint finish.
“It feels great to win here. Having Luke with me was crucial because it allowed me to prepare for the sprint as best as possible", Schmid said after the win.
“It was really hard to stay on Adam Yates’ wheel. I was just counting down the seconds to the top, but in the end I knew if I can hang on to the top, I have a big chance. Especially one time I looked to the back and I saw no more bunch, it gave me a lot of confidence to go quite fast off the climb”, the Swiss champion added.
As many as 104 cyclists completed the Muscat Classic, featuring on the UCI ProSeries calendar and serving as a curtain-raiser to the Tour of Oman.
Seventeen riders including Omani national team riders could not finish the race while two riders did not start.
In the Al Bustan finale, a trio broke away on the initiative of two-time Tour of Oman winner Yates, followed by two Jayco-AlUla riders, Plapp and Schmid. Among them, it was the Swiss rider who proved the strongest in the final showdown, claiming the first victory of a season.
SOLO RIDE
The peloton gathered in the seaside Al Mouj with 121 riders on the start line, but without Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) and Anders Foldager (Jayco-AlUla). Immediately after the official start, Baptiste Veistroffer (Intermarche-Lotto) attacked solo and built up a lead of 2’20’’ by the 5 km. The attacker extended his advantage to 5’35’’ before the Cofidis team took control of the peloton at 16 km. The Tudor riders of defending champion Rick Pluimers joined the chase, as the lone rider crested the Bausher Al Amerat climb (92.7 km) with a margin of 4’15’’.
The day’s breakaway rider continued his effort under the watchful eye of the same teams, which reduced the gap to 2’45’’ at the first passage over the Al Hamriyah wall (118.1 km). Things began to deteriorate for Veistroffer on the Al Jissah climb (1’45’’), then further on the Al Wadi Al Kabir climb (142.5 km), where a move by XDS Astana forced him to hang on to a lead reduced to just 45’’. After 151 km of effort, as he tackled the Al Hamriyah climb for the second time (153 km), the Intermarche-Lotto rider finally capitulated following another acceleration from XDS Astana, joined by an equally aggressive Movistar squad.
With 15 km to go, Soudal-Quick Step took the reins of the peloton to set up the final ascent of Al Jissah. But on the climb, Yates launched an attack with 5 km remaining, immediately followed by Plapp and Schmid. The trio quickly opened a gap of around 15 seconds and had to fend off both the peloton and a counter-attack led by Astana riders Scaroni and Lopez. On the slight uphill run-in to the finish, the sprint was contested by the three riders, with Schmid clinching a clear-cut victory.
Eighteen teams with 125 riders will be in action in the 170.9 km opening stage of 15th Tour of Oman from Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to Bimmah Sinkhole on Saturday.
Muscat Classic results
Al Mouj to Al Bustan — 176.2 km
(Read as position, rider, team, country, timing)
1. Mauro Schmid — JAY (SUI) 4:14:36
2. Adam Yates — UAD (GBR) 4:14:36
3. Luke Plapp — JAY (AUS) 4:14:40
4. Christian Scaroni — XAT (ITA) 4:14:49
5. Bart Lemmen — TVL (NED) 4:14:49
6. Rasmus Tiller — UXM (NOR) 4:14:51
7. Rui Oliveira — UAD (POR) 4:14:51
8. Henok Mulueberhan — XAT (ERI) 4:14:51
9. Mauri Vansevenant — SOQ (BEL) 4:14:51
10. Natnael Tesfazion — MOV (ERI) 4:14:51
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