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Follow us on GoogleMauro Schmid has won the now-traditional appetiser ahead of the Tour of Oman. In the Muscat Classic, the starring role for most of the day belonged to lone escapee Baptiste Veistroffer, who rode solo at the head of the race for hours for Lotto-Intermarché. In the finale, it looked as though everything would come back together — but a three-man group still managed to jump clear on the final climb, where Schmid proved fastest ahead of Adam Yates and teammate Luke Plapp.
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Since 2023, the Muscat Classic has served as the fixed warm-up event for the Tour of Oman. From this year onwards, it is no longer “just” a curtain-raiser either: the one-day race in Oman now also holds 1.Pro status in its own right. The winner of the 2025 edition, Rick Pluimers, was back again to defend his title.
Pluimers could count on stiff opposition from riders such as Brian Coquard, Diego Ulissi and Yates. With a rolling, punchy route like this, plenty of different rider types fancied their chances — and that promised an open race in Oman.
Continue reading below the video
Lone attacker given little room as sprinters and puncheurs take over
From the gun, only Veistroffer chose to go on the attack. He spent a large part of the race alone in front of a peloton that was able to keep things under control without too much stress. On the first passage of the steep Al Jissah climb, XDS Astana lifted the pace and the brave Frenchman’s advantage melted away quickly. On the penultimate climb, he was finally caught.
Heading towards the final ascent, Tudor showed their ambitions with Pluimers. The Swiss team took the initiative and, along with Soudal Quick-Step among others, kept the speed high. On the climb, a group of three managed to get away: the Jayco AlUla duo Schmid and Luke Plapp were joined by Yates in the move.
The trio held on over the top and through the descent. Jayco tried to put Yates under pressure with a couple of attacks, but he had an answer each time. In the sprint, Schmid ultimately beat the UAE rider, with Plapp taking third. In the peloton, Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike) sprinted strongly to claim fifth place.
Results Muscat Classic 2026
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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


