Info with one day to go
February 5 th 2026 - 15:17 [GMT 0]
- On the eve of the fourth edition of the Muscat Classic, which precedes the five stages of the 15th edition of the Tour of Oman, defending stage race champion Adam Yates outlined his unprecedented challenge of securing a third victory with Green Mountain on the horizon.
- The leader of UAE Team Emirates XRG is likely to face stiff competition, particularly in the final stage at Green Mountain, from serious climbers such as Valentin Paret-Peintre, his biggest rival last year, and 2023 Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss, among other contenders.
- Several sprinters and puncheurs will be competing tomorrow in the final of the Muscat Classic, including Bryan Coquard, winner of last weekend's GP La Marseillaise.
FRANCK PERQUE
"THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF PLAYING SOLO"
Before it even gets underway, the Muscat Classic is already undergoing a transformation, as this year it has been promoted to a higher level in the UCI race hierarchy, becoming a ProSeries event. This distinction is certainly due in large part to the route, which generally offers an exciting finish from the entrance to the circuit that ends at the Al Bustan viewpoint in the hills above Muscat. Race director Franck Perque knows every detail and has already identified the most intense phase of the race. “The first part is always fairly calm,” he explains. “Then we enter a very dynamic phase with the final circuit, and in particular with the Hamriyah climb, which is extremely steep and which they will climb twice. Generally, you can really feel the atmosphere of a classic. There's no calculation involved, and anyone who feels strong enough goes on the attack.” The finish line is at the top of a wide, straight road with a gradient of around 4 or 5%, where only a small number of sprinters can hope to win, and where other options are possible, according to Perque. "In previous years, it was sprinters with good climbing ability who won. But there is a possibility of a solo breakaway, as Fisher-Black did. Among the contenders for the overall classification in the coming days, Adam Yates is capable of winning. But I will also be keeping an eye on the Movistar team, which looks well equipped with talent to shine in the Classic, notably with Garcia Cortina and Adria."
ADAM YATES
"IT'S A GAME OF PATIENCE THAT'S ABOUT TO BEGIN"
No one has ever won the Tour of Oman three times, not even Chris Froome, whose two victories in 2013 and 2014 launched his first two Tour de France wins, or Alexey Lutsenko, who triumphed in 2018 and 2019. The leader of UAE Team Emirates XRG is therefore embarking on an unprecedented challenge and approaching it with as much confidence as caution. “I know we're coming with a group of highly motivated young riders,” explains the man aiming for the red leader's jersey, “and we're going to try to do the same thing we've done the last two years. But I also know it's a difficult race and the level is getting higher and higher.” Unlike his usual habits, Yates did not choose Oman as his comeback race and treated himself to something new in his program: "I went to Australia for the first time to race the Tour Down Under. It was a good experience, quite nice and refreshing to start the year with something new. It was a bit strange because they were forced to shorten the stage that was supposed to take us up the biggest climbs, but I was still able to do my job and help Jay Vine win. In any case, I'm in good shape and for me it's a game of patience that's about to begin here. I'll have to wait for Green Mountain, which is the stage that suits me best, and that's where I'll try to win again." The plan is set.
VALENTIN PARET-PEINTRE
"IF EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE, I WON'T BE FAR FROM WINNING."
“I know why I'm here this year,” Valentin Paret-Peintre quickly explains when asked about his impressive performance last year in the Tour of Oman (2nd), which was also his first race wearing the Soudal Quick-Step jersey: “I was a bit shy and reserved at first, but I wanted to show what I could do.” In the meantime, the climber from Haute-Savoie has changed status, becoming a national hero when he won at the top of Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France. But it is not on the basis of this feat that he is asserting new ambitions for his return to the Sultanate. "It's not going to be easy. The guy who beat me last year is still there, and it won't be simple. But I'm in good shape, and if everything falls into place, I won't be far from winning. Of course, a five-day race can be decided by very little (Adam Yates had a 6-second lead in the overall standings in 2025). I know where I lost time last year and I know how to avoid it this year. In any case, in training I feel a little stronger than last year, I saw that during our last training camp."
SEPP KUSS
"STARTING THE YEAR WITH A GOOD RESULT HERE WOULD BE IDEAL."
The Visma-Lease a Bike team always has high ambitions for stage races. For this week in Oman, it is counting on its American climber Sepp Kuss, one of two Grand Tour winners on the start list alongside Nairo Quintana. But since his success in the 2023 Vuelta, the American has failed to compete with the very best, although his 2025 record still includes a 7th place finish in the Vuelta, where he also came close to a prestigious stage victory (2nd at Bola del Mundo behind his leader Jonas Vingegaard). Another season is starting, and with it comes renewed motivation after a studious winter: “I haven't been ill, I've trained well, regularly and taken care of myself. I'm where I wanted to be at this time of year, I think I'm ready to go for a good result in this type of race.” Although this is his first time competing in the Tour of Oman, Kuss has studied the route carefully and is well aware that the big challenge comes at the very end of the week, when he tackles Green Mountain. Will he have the legs to compete with the favorites for victory, such as Yates and Paret-Peintre? "There's not much to think about. On paper, things are simple with only one climb at the end of the stage. But it's always difficult to judge what we'll be able to do against the others, who have also had to work hard and improve. I hope I'll be able to compete with them. It's not a super long climb, but it's really steep, which is what I like best. So I hope I'll feel good on the day. Of course, the goal is to get back to my best level, and starting the year with a good result here would be ideal."
BRYAN COQUARD
"MY BEST CHANCE IS THE MUSCAT CLASSIC"
“Le Coq” is no stranger to the Tour of Oman, having already sung there before. That was in 2018, at the end of the first stage, where he simply outpaced Mark Cavendish and Giacomo Nizzolo. During his three appearances in the race, the Cofidis rider has racked up numerous podium finishes. And to kick off the year of his 34th birthday (next April), he has already raised his arms in victory and also had a scare: “In Castellon for my comeback race, I wasn't far from victory, but I fell in the last corner. It didn't start very well, but on the other hand, at the GP La Marseillaise, everything went very well.” Bryan Coquard, the only rider to have won a race this season on the Oman start list, has chosen to reorient his career by targeting punchy races. It is precisely these qualities that he will need to draw on to win the Muscat Classic, where he finished fourth two years ago: “The work I've done this winter has put me in good shape, with confidence and having worked on this type of effort. It's my way of reinventing myself and challenging myself. My goal for the week, since I know I'm not going to be competing for the overall classification, is to win once this week. And my best chance is the Muscat Classic.”