Unsurprisingly, the opening day of the Tour of Oman concluded this Saturday with a bunch sprint. After 170 kilometres without any real obstacles, Juan Sebastian Molano claimed victory, while Thibaud Gruel tested himself at the finish and eventually secured 13th place. The route of the second stage should suit the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team better on Sunday.
The day after the lively Muscat Classic, the Tour of Oman got underway with a very linear stage toward Bimmah Sink Hole this Saturday. Despite a few uphill sections early on, a bunch sprint was widely expected—and it was never truly threatened by a trio of breakaway riders. Everything actually came back together with more than twenty kilometres to go. “We knew there was a strong chance the stage would end in a sprint, and on top of that there was mostly a headwind throughout the first part of the race,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “So the goal was to stay calm, recover from yesterday, and focus on the sprint. That’s exactly what the guys did very well, but we inevitably lacked a bit of coordination, as we don’t have riders who are used to setting up sprints in this race.”
“It’s going to pay off in the next few days,”Thierry Bricaud
Kept near the front by his teammates over the final fifteen kilometres, Thibaud Gruel then tried to make his way through in the closing moments. Starting from too far back, however, he couldn’t move up beyond 13th place. “It’s a bit frustrating, but you can feel that the guys are going well and that they’re motivated,” added Thierry. “That’s encouraging, and it’s going to pay off in the next few days.” Groupama-FDJ United also welcomed back Rudy Molard, who was ill and didn’t start the day before. “He had a decent day,” said Thierry. “The conditions were perfect to get back into rhythm. That’s good for what’s to come.” On Sunday, the peloton will return to some of the roads used during the Muscat Classic, before finishing at Yitti Hills (1.8 km at 5.4%). “The last hour and a half of racing is punchier, the race will be harder—and that’s fine by us,” Thierry concluded.
