Muscat – French rider Baptiste Veistroffer of Lotto–Intermarché delivered an impressive solo performance to claim victory in stage two of the 15th edition of the Tour of Oman, covering a demanding 191.4 kilometres on Sunday and finishing strongly at Yitti Hills.
Veistroffer attacked late from the day’s breakaway and held off a charging peloton on the uphill finish, crossing the line in a timing of 4 hours, 22 minutes and 43 seconds. Eritrean rider Mulueberhan Henok of XAT Team finished as runners up with a narrow time gap, while French cyclist Gruel Thibaud of GFC Team secured third place.
With his stage victory, Veistroffer moved into the overall lead of the Tour, claiming the red jersey, while also topping the points classification to take the green jersey with a total of 19 points. Gruel Thibaud was awarded the white jersey as the best young rider, while Polish cyclist Patryk Goszcurny of TVL Team claimed the golden jersey as the most aggressive rider.
The Stage Two awards ceremony was held under the patronage of His Excellency Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
Stage Two featured a challenging and scenic route highlighting Oman’s geographical diversity and urban landscapes. The stage began at Al Rustaq Fort, passing through Al Rustaq, Al Awabi and Nakhal, before heading towards Wadi Al Maawil and turning towards Al Ajyal and the Bausher–Fanja Road. Riders continued through Fanja Souq and the Rusayl Industrial Area, before passing the Military Hospital traffic lights and turning towards Al Murtafaah Road and Al Murtafaah Camp Street.
The route then passed Bank Muscat traffic lights, turning right at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque junction in Al Ghubrah, before continuing to Al Ansab Road and descending onto the Muscat Expressway in Bausher. Cyclists then turned onto Al Jabal Street (Bausher–Al Amerat Road), passed Al Amerat Cemetery Roundabout, turned into Wadi Adai, and continued through Al Hamriyah, before concluding the stage at the demanding ascent of Yitti Heights, where Veistroffer sealed his victory.
Speaking to the media after the podium ceremony, Veistroffer said:
“I feel I truly deserved this victory after a long time. Everyone in the team believed in me, and I believed in myself. I managed the race well and attacked at the right moment. This win is not only a personal achievement, but the result of a collective team effort.”
“The coming stages will be even tougher and it is important to stay confident and aggressive. The Muscat Classic was a good preparation but today I really enjoyed how hard the race was, especially in the final part of the stage. I like races like this.”
