MUSCAT: Italian rider Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana Team produced a flawless climb on the slopes of the Al Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) to seal the Tour of Oman 2026 title on Wednesday.
Scaroni, who was four seconds behind overnight leader Mauro Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla, showed both patience and strength on his way to the triumph in the fifth and final stage of the 15th edition of the Tour of Oman at Birkat Al Mouz in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
Scaroni completed the decisive Green Mountain stage in a timing of three hours, 2 3 minutes and 19 seconds, mastering the demanding uphill finish to secure both the stage win and the overall general classification title. His Spanish team-mate Christian Rodriguez (03:23:22) finished second with a marginal time gap, while Luke Plapp (03:23:25) of Jayco AlUla claimed third place.
Speaking after the race, Scaroni expressed his satisfaction with the performance. “My performance today made everything come together in the best way. The team did incredible work throughout all the stages. I am very happy. Overall, the Tour was perfect as the organisation was excellent and I would be delighted to come back again.”
INCREDIBLE FEELING
“It’s an incredible feeling. Everything went well thanks to the team. With 1.5 km to go, Adam [Yates] dropped me by a few metres, so it was very hard, but we managed to turn the situation around and take the jersey. It’s thanks to Cristian Rodriguez. I followed his wheel and then I went for the sprint to win the stage as well. We knew UAE had the strongest rider here, but from the start of the climb we could see he was suffering,” the Italian said.
Scaroni said the win was the result of using leg power as well as their brains.
“When I saw Mauro Schmid starting to weaken, I believed in my chances. There was still a long way to the finish, but to win we used our heads as much as our legs. Adam Yates was an incredible rival and we knew the competition was very strong, so I’m very happy. Next, I’ll ride the Classic Var, then I’ll prepare for the Ardennes Classics and the Giro, which will be my main goal of the season.”
The 2026 podium was completed by Adam Yates, recorded in the same second as Mauro Schmid (4th) and Paul Double (5th), who were separated by the countback of stage placings accumulated since the start of the race.
The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Faris bin Fatik al Said. The Tour of Oman was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), in cooperation with the Oman Cycling Association (OCA) and several government and private sector partners.
OVERALL CLASSIFICATIONS
In the final general standings, Scaroni claimed both the red jersey (overall leader) and the green jersey (points classification). Poland’s Patryk Goszczurny secured the golden jersey as the most aggressive rider. Fernando Pescador Castro of Movistar Team won the white jersey as the best young rider. XDS Astana Team was crowned best team of the Tour.
The 2026 edition delivered five days of high-level international competition across Oman’s diverse landscapes, from coastal routes to challenging mountain climbs. The concluding stage began at the foot of the historic Nizwa Fort, the iconic 17th-century landmark.
The stage rolled out with 110 riders at the start following the withdrawal of Rui Oliveira (UAE Emirates XRG). An ultra-fast pace in the opening kilometres neutralised early breakaway attempts, before a leading group formed at 16 km, including Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Emirates XRG), Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ United), Florian Dauphin (TotalEnergies), Erlend Blikra and Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto–Intermarché).
CLIMBER’S SHOWDOWN
The final stage delivered a climbers’ showdown on the slopes of Green Mountain, where Adam Yates failed to turn the situation to his advantage, despite having won the previous two editions. The UAE Emirates XRG leader, who started the day 32 seconds behind red jersey Mauro Schmid, managed to close the gap on the Swiss rider, but not on Scaroni, who showed patience and strength in tackling the climb.
Alongside Rodriguez in the final kilometres, Scaroni launched his move in the last 100 metres to claim a prestigious victory atop Green Mountain.
ASTANA ONE-TWO
The breakaway’s fate was sealed on the slopes of Green Mountain. With 3 km to go, Dversnes — the last survivor — was caught by a reduced elite group of around 20 riders, though without Valentin Paret-Peintre, who had been dropped 500 metres earlier. Adam Yates and then Nairo Quintana took turns raising the pace, further thinning the contenders, while red jersey Schmid was also distanced.
Under the flamme rouge, only Scaroni, Rodriguez (Astana), Yates (UAE), Double, Plapp (Jayco), and Quintana (Movistar) remained in contention. Among them, Luke Plapp attacked with 500 metres to go and looked set for victory, but in the final 100 metres he was caught by Scaroni and Rodriguez. The two Astana riders formed a winning duo, claiming both the Al Jabal Al Akhdhar stage and the overall title at the Tour of Oman.
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