Archiv des Monats: Januar 2026

MUSCAT CLASSIC / TOUR OF OMAN 2026 START STRONG, FINISH STRONGER

Etappenrennen, Strassenrennen, Vorschau, , ,

Key info:
• Now entering its fourth edition, the Muscat Classic will take place on 6th February 2026 and feature on the ProSeries calendar, ahead of the Tour of Oman (7-11 February 2026), which has been a fixture of the international cycling scene since 2010.
• The peloton will include 18 teams, among them 11 WorldTeams, two more than in 2025, highlighting the growing prestuge of the event.
• From the coastal road of Al Mouj to the demanding ascent of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), riders will be tested across a diverse and challenging course that spans desert landscape and Oman’s most iconic peaks.
One more step in the desert. Since the first edition of the Tour of Oman in 2010, the stars of the international peloton have become accustomed to the roads of the Sultanate, but 2026 brings a new dimension to the double event now on offer on the shores of the Gulf of Oman: the Muscat Classic (6 February), created in 2023 as a prelude to the stage race, joins its older sibling (7-11 February) on the Pro Series calendar.

Victory at Al Bustan will be all the more prestigious and loaded with UCI points. The contenders will once again face a hilly and winding course that always makes for a dynamic race. With the final climb of Al Jissah (1.4 km at 9%) just 5 km from the finish, can an attacker make the difference, as Finn Fisher-Black did in 2024? Or will a puncheur-sprinter succeed Rick Pluimers, who made the most of his speed to claim victory last year?

The day after the Muscat Classic, riders will need to have recovered from the first efforts of the week in the Sultanate. For the first stage of the Tour of Oman, the peloton will set off from the Ministry of Tourism and quickly tackle the slopes of the climb of Bushar (3.3 km at 9.8%) before a wind-exposed finale along the sea to reach Bimmah Sink Hole, where Olav Kooij won in 2025.

Another coastal opportunity awaits the sprinters on Tuesday 10 February, when they will race to Sohar for the finish of stage 4. The other profiles feature numerous climbs, with a thrilling crescendo leading up to the final showdown on the slopes of Jabal Al Akhdhar – Green Mountain.

Already on stage 2, puncheurs will need to master timing, power and gear ratios to conquer Yitti Hills. The next day, Eastern Mountain (3.4 km at 8%) shall bring notable differences in the fight for the overall victory with its irregular slopes. Finally, the best climbers are accustomed to battling it out on the climb up Jabal Al Akhdhar – Green Mountain, a summit of February with its 5.7 km at 10.5%.

Who will succeed Valentin Paret-Peintre and Adam Yates, who ruled these heights in 2025? Eleven WorldTour teams (two more than last year) are preparing to light up the Omani roads. Four of the top five teams in the 2025 UCI world rankings are expected to compete, starting with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. They will be joined by six ProTeams and the Omani national team.

Muscat Classic
Friday, February 6th : Al Mouj > Al Bustan (174km)

Tour of Oman 2026 stages
Stage 1, Saturday, February 7th: Ministry of Tourism > Bimmah Sink Hole (171 km)
Stage 2, Sunday, February 8th: Al Rustaq Fort > Yitti Hills (191,5 km)
Stage 3, Monday, February 9th: Samail “Al Fayhaa Resthouse” > Eastern Mountain (191 km)
Stage 4, Tuesday, February 10th: Al Sawadi Beach > Sohar (146 km)
Stage 5, Wednesday, February 11th: Nizwa > Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (156 km)

The 18 teams

WTT – UCI WorldTeams (11)

Alpecin – Premier Tech
EF Education-EasyPost
Groupama-FDJ United
Movistar Team
Team Jayco AlUla
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Soudal Quick-Step
XDS Astana Team
Lotto Intermarché
Uno-X Mobility

PRT – UCI ProTeams (6)

Cofidis
Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
TotalEnergies
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
Burgos Burpellet BH

National team (1)
Oman National Team

Amstel Gold Race announces new race director: Tom Dumoulin to succeed Leo van Vliet after the 60th edition

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, Weltcup und Klassiker, , ,

Maastricht – 7 January 2026. During a press conference today at the café In den Ouden Vogelstruys on the Vrijthof square in Maastricht, the place where the idea for the international cycling race originated in 1965, the Amstel Gold Race announced that the 60th edition of the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday 19 April 2026 will be the last one to take place under the leadership of Leo van Vliet as race director. As from 2027, his successor will be Tom Dumoulin.The announcement marks the end of a very special era in the history of the only Dutch cycling classic. After its first 30 editions (1966 – 1995) under the leadership of Herman Krott, the Amstel Gold Race was directed for its next 30 editions (1996 – 2026) by Leo van Vliet. It is very noteworthy that the organisation of the event has had just two race directors in 60 years.

Leo van Vliet took over from the race’s founder Herman Krott in 1996 and became a vital figure in the Amstel Gold Race’s organisation. Under his leadership, the race developed further into an essential fixture on the international cycling calendar and an indispensable part of the UCI WorldTour. In addition, Van Vliet was instrumental in establishing the highly successful Toerversie Amstel Gold Race and played a key role in adding a women’s race to the Amstel Gold Race weekend, among many other achievements.

“It’s quite remarkable to realise that I’ve had the opportunity to experience 30 editions as race director,” Van Vliet said at the press conference. “The 60th edition in 2026 feels like the right time for me to pass on the baton to a new generation.”

Just as Krott picked Van Vliet as his successor in 1995, Van Vliet has selected Tom Dumoulin as his. With the former professional cyclist and winner of the Giro d’Italia, the organisation is deliberately opting for a successor with international appeal, a strong profile and a deep connection to Limburg and the Amstel Gold Race.

Future race director Tom Dumoulin said that he was honoured by his appointment:

“The Amstel Gold Race is a race that has given me such a lot, both personally and in terms of sport. The fact that I’ve been entrusted to lead this race as from 2027, following in the footsteps of Herman Krott and Leo van Vliet, feels like a great honour and responsibility. I look forward to working with the team to continue the rich tradition of this unique classic.”

At the meeting, the organisation expressed its deep appreciation for Leo van Vliet’s decades of commitment and emphasised its confidence in a successful future under the leadership of Tom Dumoulin. Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics:

“Since 2025, Flanders Classics has been actively involved in the organisation of the Amstel Gold Race, which means that we have collaborated intensively with Leo in recent years. During this collaboration, we have been able to experience right from the front row how much Leo has made his mark on this spring classic and how passionately he does so. We therefore want to continue to work on the foundations that Leo spent many years building, and to do so with respect. Both HEINEKEN Nederland, the parent company of Amstel, and our organisation see Tom, a Maastricht native who’s passionate about the Amstel Gold Race, as the ideal successor with whom we can develop a new long-term vision, following the examples set by Leo and by Herman Krott. But before we turn our attention to the future, we are first looking forward to an anniversary edition that will celebrate both the race and Leo.”

The 60th Amstel Gold Race, to take place on 19 April 2026, will therefore be not only an anniversary edition, but also the historic conclusion of an era.