The key infos:
– Riders have arrived from all around the World to kick-off the 10th edition of the Tour of Oman with an unprecedented stage on Saturday.
– Alexey Lutsenko, the overall winner in 2018, and Alexander Kristoff, who hasn’t missed a single edition, are hungry for more omani success.
– Bryan Coquard, Nacer Bouhanni and André Greipel are ready to battle it out in the sprints.

Kristoff, a proper Omani
I have a small competition with Micky Schär, he’s also been there 10 times”, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) laughed ahead of his tenth participation on the Tour of Oman. “I told him I won’t quit until he does!” Apart from this rivalry, the powerful Norwegian wants to open his victory account for this season and add more success to the 8 stage wins he already claimed in the Sultanate: “There’s a strong field so it won’t be easy but at least I know how to win here, especially on the Matrah corniche. André (Greipel) also knows how to win there but I already have it set on my mind how I want to do this.”
Lutsenko: “We’re here with a very strong team”
Winner of the 2018 Tour of Oman, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) wats to become the second rider to win the race twice, after Chris Froome did it in 2013 and 2014. The Kazakh champ claimed his ambitions as he came back from two weeks of altitude training in Tenerife: “Winning here last year was awesome. It’s a new season now and this is my first race of the year, I’m very motivated. We’re here with a very strong team, Magnus (Cort Nielsen) and Davide (Ballerini) can try to win stages and I’ll fight for the general classification. The Green Mountain stage will be decisive for the overall victory. Six kilometres, 11%… It’s really hard.”
Sprinters aim for success
Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept-B&B Hotels) won the first stage last year and he hopes to “do as well this year. I feel more liberated this year because I’ve already won (1 stage of the Étoile de Bessèges).” Among French sprinters, Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) wants to “get into rhythm as the days go by. It’s my seventh participation on a race I really like. We get some good racing under the Sun and I want to come back to Europe with strong legs and good results.” André Greipel has similar ambitions with his new team Arkéa-Samsic: “It won’t be easy because there are not many stage for sprinters but I want to come out of here with a stage win.”
How to follow the race
Images of the Tour of Oman will be broadcasted on TV across five continents and available everywhere through social media. A 26’ daily highlights video will be available in 185 countries, after a new agreement was found with Australian broadcaster SBS. Fans can also turn to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They will receive live updates from the race and enjoy the best videos and pictures from the race to fully live the experience of a unique event.
©Muscat Municipality / A.S.O. / K.D. Thorstad

Key points :
 The Sultanate of Oman will be welcoming the elite of world cycling for the 10th edition of the Tour of Oman, a favourite race for the perennial spring classics specialists. Among them, sprinters such as Nasser Bouhanni, André Greipel and Bryan Coquard will try to distinguish themselves, but also to do battle on more demanding finishes with Alexander Kristoff and Greg van Avermaet.
 Traditionally, the climb up Jabal Al Akhdhar (the “Green Mountain”) proves to be decisive in the fight for the title. It should be an ideal playing ground for climbers like Domenico Pozzovivo or Mathias Frank.

There is an ambiance of a return to business in Oman, despite the summer temperatures that will welcome the riders between 16th and 21st February. At this stage of the season, nobody has yet attached their first race numbers nor worn their new jersey in a competitive context for those who have changed team. Be that as it may, the reflexes are still a bit rusty but the winter preparation is well and truly over. It is time to get to the heart of the matter, namely direct confrontation between rivals who will be battling to be the best throughout the year. On the Tour of Oman, the struggle will see all types of riders involved, whether they are more inclined to shining on the spring classics, specialists of stage wins on grand tours or pretenders for general classification triumphs on week-long races, or longer.
The Tour of Oman, appreciated for its alternation between flat and hilly finishes, will put the cream of the sprinting clan in the spotlight from the first stage on the Suhar Corniche and without a doubt at the end of the race on the Matrah Corniche. These seaside finishes should give rise to tough clashes between Nacer Bouhanni, André Greipel, Bryan Coquard and Sonny Colbrelli. However, the riders will have to display a different type of power on the undulating routes leading to Al Bustan (stage 2) and Qurayyat (stage 3). Alexander Kristoff, who boasts the most stage wins in Oman with 8 victories in 9 participations, will be one of the men to watch, as will Greg van Avermaet, who will be looking to improve his roll of honour in preparation for his campaign in Flanders. Nonetheless, the two favourites could be left in the wake of Gasparotto, Magnus Cort-Nielsen or, should the race take a slightly different turn, Niki Terpstra, Oliver Naesen or Nathan Haas. As is often the case, the “Green Mountain” is likely to be crucial in the battle for the title, the day before the race comes to its conclusion. The 5.7-km climb will be the steepest of the week (with an average gradient of 10.5%) and could be used as a springboard to triumph by a climber such as Domenico Pozzovivo, Mathias Frank or Jesus Herrada. However, the winning ticket might also go to the title holder Alexey Lutsenko if, like in last year’s success, he contents himself with keeping with the pace on this climber’s test.
18 teams: the main participants
Bahrain
Bahrain-Merida: Pozzovivo, Colbrelli (Ita)
Belgium
Wanty-Gobert Cycling Team: De Clercq (Bel), Minaard (Nld)
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise: Capiot, Van Hecke (Bel)
Wallonie Bruxelles: B. Planckaert, Dehaes (Bel)
France
AG2R La Mondiale: Frank, Dillier (Che), Naesen (Bel)
Cofidis, Solutions crédits: Bouhanni (Fra), Jes. Herrada (Esp)
Direct Energie: Petit (Fra), Terpstra (Nld)
Team Arkea-Samsic: B. Feillu (Fra), Greipel (Deu)
Vital Concept-B&B Hotels: Coquard, Reza (Fra)
Delko Marseille Provence: Moreno (Esp), Jones (Aus)
Kazakhstan
Astana Pro Team: Lutsenko (Kaz), Cort-Nielsen (Dnk)
Netherlands
Roompot-Charles: Lammertink, Van Poppel (Nld)
Poland
CCCTeam: Van Avermaet, Van Keirsbulck (Bel)
South Africa
Team Dimension Data: Gasparotto (Ita), Slagter (Nld)
Spain
Euskadi Basque Country-Murias: Bizkarra, Aristi (Spa)
Switzerland
Team Katusha Alpecin: Haas (Aus), Boswell (Usa)
United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Kristoff (Nor), Costa (Prt), Laengen (Nor)
USA
Rally UHC Cycling: Huffman, McNulty (Usa)
@ASO