Yousif Mirza looking to add another title at Tour of Oman
I’m going to race the Tour of Oman with the goal of giving my team captains everything I have
Yousif Mirza
muscat — UAE Team Emirates will continue its build-up to the UAE Tour this weekend as their riders – including UAE National Champion, Yousif Mirza – head to the UAE’s southern neighbour to compete in the 10th edition of the Tour of Oman.
Mirza, who recently picked up a second win at the Al Aslam cycling race, will be joined by former World Champion, Rui Costa and sprint-specialist Alexander Kristoff; the latter of whom has picked up and impressive eight stage wins at this event over the past five years.
They will be supported by Norwegian duo, Sven Erik Bystrom and Norwegian National Cham- pion Vegard Stake Laengen, Slovenian Jan Polanc and Italian Marco Marcato.
With a combination of flat and rolling parcours, combined with the summit finish on Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain), the Tour of Oman provides riders with a fitting test; particularly those who will head to the emirates to compete in the UAE Tour in just 10 days’ time.
Stage one will undoubtedly be battled out by the sprinters. The costal road from Al Sawadi Beach to Sohar Corniche will see riders pass some of Oman’s most stunning beaches, before contesting the 1.3km straight into the finish. The puncheurs will come into the fore on Stages two and three. Stage two will see the peloton head into the hills west of Muscat, challenged by four climbs, before a steep downhill finish into Al Bustan.
Stage three will be a similar affair, with riders going up against three categorised climbs. The final one, a 2.8km summit finish with a gradient of 6.5%, could provide fans with one of the most gripping finishes of the Tour.
Stage four will give ample opportunities for a breakaway to form, with two early categorised climbs followed by three ascents and descents of the Al Jabal Street climb. Should the peloton catch the breakaway group, spectator can expect a thrilling sprint finish in front of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The toughest test of the Tour comes on Stage five; a 152km route through the Al Hajar mountains, finishing with the ascent of Jabal Al-Akhdar. The 5.7km uphill stretch averages a gradient of 10.5% and has historically had a significant impact on the General Classification (GC) standings. The sprinters will welcome Stage six, particularly UAE Team Emirates.
Commenting ahead of his second appearance at the Tour of Oman, Yousif Mirza said: “I was happy with my season debut in the Challenge Mallorca. Now, I’m going to race the Tour of Oman with the goal of giving my team captains everything I have and to reach the best possible shape heading towards the UAE championships.”