Canadian Cycling Magazine

Desert Climbs

The mountains of the Middle East that rival the Pyrenees

- story and photos by Steve Thomas

The mountains of Oman rival the Pyrenees

In recent years, Oman has grabbed its fair share of attention within cycling, thanks largely to the increasing­ly popular Tour of Oman, which comes boldly endorsed by Chris Froome himself. But how is cycling in this Middle East country for non-pro riders? Is it really a great cycling destinatio­n?

Oman is a desert nation that borders Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and the ocean. You might assume that all you’d get to ride on would be three main roads through barren deserts where you’d be thrashed by trains of heavy trucks. I had those assumption­s sandblaste­d to oblivion. Throughout a little more than a week, I took in more than 1,000 km of a circular route around the north of the country.

Usually things all begin in the capital city of Muscat, which is (mostly) about as new as cities come. You really have to scour to find so much as a paving stone out of place. It’s quite an imposing city (especially the corniche, the city’s waterfront area). The city is surrounded by jagged mountains that have a series of wadis (flat valleys). These are the fringes of the Hajar Mountains, an imposing and rugged range that dominates the northern quarter of the country. At their most lofty point, they top the 3,000-m mark, which is just a football pitch worth of altitude short of the highest point in the Pyrenees.

This northern region of Oman is hilly, to say the least. Heading inland from the coast and Muscat toward Hajar means that you are effectivel­y climbing from the get go, and mostly on silky smooth roads, too. The mountains here tend to be called jebels, which does make them easier to pronounce when you’re suffering and slurring your way up them.

Through the Tour of Oman, and more recently the Haute Route and Bikingman, many of these jebels have earned their place on a Strava hit list for inquisitiv­e riders. These

“The scenery along the lead-in to the climb and up its inclines features rock-strewn wadis with tiny villages, terraced hillsides and waves of rippling mountains.”

inclines do compare with some of the major Grand Tour climbs of Europe. One particular climb really has not had a great deal of attention: Jebel Shams. I’m not sure why it isn’t more popular. Maybe it’s the jebel’s remote location. Maybe it’s just too damn tough for an early season race. Jebel Shams runs a little more than 21 km with an average gradient of 5 per cent. But in many sections, the road gets as steep as 21 per cent. It’s the top 8 km or so of gravel, and a final dip to the road, that fool the stats.

The full-length Shams Strava kom was bagged by British ultra-racer Josh Ibbett during this year’s Bikingman Oman ultra race. After some 320 km or so as a warm up, he hit the climb. It took him 1:46:52 to clamber up its slopes and snag the digital title.

The scenery along the lead-in to the climb and up its inclines features rock-strewn wadis with tiny villages, terraced hillsides and waves of rippling mountains. The impressive backdrop turns more lunar-like as you hit the rolling gravel sector toward the real prize for climbing the mountain.

From the gravel ledge, you dip down and reach the short road sector to the Jebel Shams Resort, which effectivel­y marks the summit. Just a few metres off to your left is the Jebel Shams Canyon, which is often compared to its grand U.S. counterpar­t.

It’s tough to top riding Jebel Shams, in every way. In brutality, it’d have a fair scrap with Ventoux or Mortirolo, while it has the steepness of the Angliru. If for no other reason (and there are plenty), then Oman is worth a visit simply to ride this one climb.

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