MUSCAT: Muscat Classic winner Mauro Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla rode himself into contention in Tour of Oman 2026 with a promising win in the Stage 3 on Monday.
The Swiss rider completed the challenging 191.5 Km stage in a timing of 4 hours, 13 minutes and 17 seconds on Monday.
Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana Team came second in same time while Martin Tjøtta (04:13:20) of Uno-X Mobility finished third.
Stage three began from Al Fayhaa Rest House in Wilayat of Samayil and concluded at Misfat Al Abriyeen in the Eastern Mountain, featuring a demanding route that tested riders with long distances, varied terrain, and a decisive uphill finish. Schmid’s well-timed effort on the final climb ahead of Scaroni allowed him to secure the stage victory and claim the red jersey.
The green jersey for the points classification went to French rider Baptiste Veistroffer of Lotto–Intermarche while Polish rider Patryk Goszczurny of Team Visma | Lease a Bike earned the golden jersey as the most aggressive rider. The white jersey for best young rider (under-23) was claimed by Norwegian rider Martin Tjøtta.
Chief guest Shaikh Sulaiman bin Said al Azri, Wali of Al Hamra, gave away the awards at the presentation ceremony.
Speaking after the race, stage winner Mauro Schmid described the stage as one of the toughest of the Tour. “It was a really hard race as it was harder than we expected,” Schmid said.
“The pace was high throughout but my team supported me perfectly especially at the bottom of the climb. They protected me well, controlled the race and gave me everything I needed,” he added.
“In the final, I was not in the best position but the team helped me a lot and I am happy with this result. There is still a long way to go. Tomorrow (Tuesday) should be easier but stage five will be very tough and the priority now is to stay safe and be ready to defend in the final days,” the Swiss cyclist said.
White jersey holder Martin Tjøtta expressed his delight at competing in Oman. “This is my first time in Oman and I am really grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “It is a strong team and for me as a young rider, it is special to be team captain. The climb suited me well as it was long, not too short and in the final, I was among the strongest. Tomorrow should be quite safe but the final stage at Green Mountain will be extremely tough. I believe I can deliver a good performance.”
EARLY ATTACKS
The third stage was marked by numerous early attacks, largely initiated by Stage 2 winner Baptiste Veistroffer, who once again found himself in the breakaway as part of a seven-rider group. This move was eventually neutralised by the peloton, with the top climbers battling it out on the final 3.8-km ascent on the slopes of Eastern Mountain in Misfat Al Abriyeen. Valentin Paret-Peintre and Adam Yates returned to action after crashes at 8 km and 6 km from the finish respectively but could not make a desired impact on the results.
Following the withdrawals of Marcos Freire (UAE Emirates XRG), Sepp Kuss (Visma–Lease a Bike), Joshua Kench (Groupama-FDJ United) and Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana), the peloton set off on Stage 3 with 115 riders.
The Tour of Oman will continue on Tuesday with Stage 4 as it will cover 146.8 km from Al Sawadi Park in Barka to the Sohar Corniche. The stage is expected to be one of the fastest and most tactical of the race, featuring a coastal route that will demand precise wind reading, strong team coordination, and high physical and mental readiness until the final metres.
Tour of Oman Stage 3 Results
(Read as rank, rider, country, team, time)
1. Mauro Schmid (SWI) – Team Jayco AlUla – 04:13:17
2. Christian Scaroni (ITA) – XDS Astana Team – 04:13:17
3. Martin Tjøtta (NOR) – Uno-X Mobility – 04:13:20
4. Sebastian Berwick (AUS) – Caja Rural-Seguros RGA – 04:13:20
5. Thomas Bonnet (FRA) – TotalEnergies – 04:13:24
6. Fernando Diego Pescador Castro – Movistar Team – 04:13:24
7. Cristian Rodriguez (ESP) – XDS Astana Team – 04:13:28
8. Christopher Harper (AUS) – Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro CT –04:13:28
9. Paul Double (UK) – Team Jayco AlUla – 04:13:32
10. Diego Ulissi (ITA) – XDS Astana Team – 04:13:35
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