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Follow us on GoogleAfter the AlUla Tour, the second stage race in the Middle East this season is on the menu in the coming days. The Tour of Oman has long been a popular stop for the biggest teams in the peloton, and 2026 is no different. Eleven WorldTour squads are lining up, so IDLProcycling.com takes a closer look at what to expect.
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The Tour of Oman has been held since 2010 and boasts a strong palmarès. Fabian Cancellara was the first overall winner, while Robert Gesink took the title one year later. Grand Tour winners Chris Froome (twice) and Vincenzo Nibali have also triumphed in Oman.
Adam Yates won in both 2024 and 2025 and is back again. The Brit has travelled over from Australia after playing a key role in teammate Jay Vine’s overall success at the Tour Down Under in January.
Latest winners Tour of Oman
2025 Adam Yates
2024 Adam Yates
2023 Matteo Jorgenson
2022 Jan Hirt
2021 Not competed
2020 Not competed
2019 Alexey Lutsenko
2018 Alexey Lutsenko
2017 Ben Hermans
2016 Vincenzo Nibali
2024 Adam Yates
2023 Matteo Jorgenson
2022 Jan Hirt
2020 Not competed
2019 Alexey Lutsenko
2018 Alexey Lutsenko
2017 Ben Hermans
2016 Vincenzo Nibali
Tour of Oman 2026: Course, times and favorites stage wins
Stage 1, Saturday, Feb. 7: Muscat -Bimmah Sink Hole (170.9 km)
The Tour of Oman starts on Saturday in Muscat, with the Muscat Classic (created last year) taking place the day before. Aside from a steep ramp right in the opening phase, it’s primarily a flat stage — meaning the sprinters on the start list will need to be sharp from day one.
Favorites
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X)
Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X)
Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Times (CET)
Start: 07.35 AM
Finish: 12:05 PM
Start: 07.35 AM
Finish: 12:05 PM
Stage 2, Sunday, Feb. 8: Al Rustaq Fort - Yitti Hills (191.4 km)
Stage 2 is identical to last year’s route, when Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step) surprised everyone by winning from the break. Normally, though, this is one for the puncheurs: after a series of short, steep rises, the finish in Yitti Hills comes on a climb of 1.6 kilometres at 6.8%.
Favorites
Roger Adria (Movistar)
Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)
Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost)
Roger Adria (Movistar)
Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)
Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost)
Times (CET)
Start: 07.35 AM
Finish: 12:35 PM
Start: 07.35 AM
Finish: 12:35 PM
Stage 3, Monday, Feb. 9: Samal - Eastern Mountain (191.3 km)
Stage 3 heads for Eastern Mountain, a finish the race has used before — including in 2023 and 2025. In 2023, Matteo Jorgenson won on the climb, which is 3.4 kilometres at 8%. Last year, it was David Gaudu who proved quickest on the steep final kilometre, so it makes sense to look to the climbers again for the day’s main contenders.
Favorites
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana)
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana)
Times (CET)
Start: 07.10 AM
Finish: 11:50 AM
Start: 07.10 AM
Finish: 11:50 AM
Stage 4, Tuesday, Feb. 10: Al Sawadi Beach - Sohar (146.8 km)
Stage 4 is as flat as it gets, which should bring the sprinters back into play in Oman. The route never climbs above 13 metres above sea level, but desert racing always carries the risk of crosswinds — and with them, potential echelons.
Favorites
Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies)
Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural)
Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies)
Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural)
Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Times (CET)
Start:08.10 AM
Finish:11.50 AM
Start:08.10 AM
Finish:11.50 AM
Stage 5, Wednesday, Feb. 11: Izwa - Jabal al Akhdhar (155.9 km)
The final day features the climb that has shaped the Tour of Oman for years: Green Mountain (Jabal al Akhdhar). With 5.7 kilometres at an average of 10.4%, there is nowhere left to hide when the overall contenders hit the decisive slopes.
Times (CET)
Start: 07.15 AM
Finish: 11:00 AM
Start: 07.15 AM
Finish: 11:00 AM
Favorites final classification Tour of Oman 2026
The Tour of Oman will go ahead without Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike still arrive with strong replacements in Adam Yates and Sepp Kuss. Yates has won the last two editions, so labelling him the top favourite — with Pablo Torres as a key support rider — makes perfect sense. For Visma, Kuss is set to get his chance alongside Bart Lemmen and Tijmen Graat.
XDS Astana may well bring the deepest squad overall: Lorenzo Fortunato, Christian Scaroni, Cristian Rodríguez, Diego Ulissi, Henok Mulubrhan, Harold Martín López and Alberto Bettiol are all on the start list. Soudal Quick-Step also has multiple cards to play, including French fan favourite Valentin Paret-Peintre and Belgian climber Junior Lecerf.
Continue reading below the photo!
Valentin Paret-Peintre: one of the top favorites.
Movistar sends the Colombian duo Einer Rubio and Nairo Quintana, while Q36.5 (listed as “Pinarello Q36.5” on the Dutch startlist) relies on Australians Damien Howson and Chris Harper. Jayco AlUla lines up with Paul Double, Finlay Pickering and Luke Plapp. EF Education–EasyPost has Alex Baudin and Jefferson Cepeda, and Groupama-FDJ brings Quentin Pacher, Brieuc Rolland and Rémy Rochas.
Further down the startlist, you will also find Geoffrey Bouchard (TotalEnergies), Martin Tjøtta (Uno-X), Jesús Herrada (Burgos-BH), Will Barta (Tudor) and Juan (spelled “Jan” in the Dutch text) Castellón (Caja Rural).
Top favorites: Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Lorenzo Fortunato, Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana) and Einer Rubio (Movistar)
Long shots: Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Damien Howson, Chris Harper (Pinarello - Q36.5), Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step), Cristian Rodriguez, Harold Martin Lopez (XDS-Astana), Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) and Paul Double (Jayco AlUla)
Outsiders: Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Lorenzo Fortunato, Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana) and Einer Rubio (Movistar)
Long shots: Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Damien Howson, Chris Harper (Pinarello - Q36.5), Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step), Cristian Rodriguez, Harold Martin Lopez (XDS-Astana), Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) and Paul Double (Jayco AlUla)
Participants Tour of Oman 2026
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
TV coverage Tour of Oman 2026
Unfortunately, the Tour of Oman cannot be followed live on TV. IDLProcycling.com will provide daily reports, news and reactions. In recent years there has been a YouTube stream — if that returns, we will share it.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026