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Samayil, Nizwa greet the Tour of
Oman cyclists; Bennati wins

Winner Liquigas-Doimo team rider Daniele Bennati of Italy (centre), third
place team Sky rider Edvald Boasson Hagen (left) and second-place Garmin-Transitions
team rider Tyler Farrar pose on the winners’ podium after the first ever
Tour of Oman cycling race from Nizwa to Samayil yesterday. PICTURE
centre:
The pack of riders cycles during the second stage of the Tour of Oman
cycling race from Nizwa to Samayil yesterday. PICTURE RIGHT: Riders
cycle during a break away in the second stage of the Tour of Oman yesterday.
— Reuters
Muscat — The second stage
of the Tour of Oman moved from Muscat into the interior to show the
international teams the beauty of the Sultanate. Italy’s Daniele Bennati
captured the day’s victory after a final bunch sprint in the streets of
Samayil. The red jersey for the leader of the general classification goes
from the shoulders of Jimmy Casper to those of Edvald Boasson Hagen. Eight
Omani cyclists joined part of the Tour for the stage led by Ahmed Saif al
Rahbi who was ranked 7th in last year’s GCC Tour.
After a spectacular first stage on the Corniche, the ancient towns of
Samayil and Nizwa welcomed the riders of the first Tour of Oman. Cyclists
adorned in their team jerseys created a true world-class atmosphere as they
passed with their convoy and hundreds of spectators again lined the route
waving to the teams as they sped past at speeds of up to 50 km/per hour.
Three BMX bike riders also entertained the crowds at the finish line in
Nizwa with their handling of the bikes and high jumps creating a festival
atmosphere for both the public and the international teams.
Ali Humaid al Saidi, Head of the Sports Individual and Groups under the
Ministry of Sports Affairs was extremely proud that eight Omani up and
coming cyclists had the honour of accompanying the pack and join the start
line of this leg. “Our local team learnt a lot from joining the Tour for the
initial part of this historic race and they have benefited greatly from this
experience. They are now much more experience in the tactics of how to
handle these racing bikes and how to change gears while moving in a tightly
formed pack at high speeds.
The team are so proud to have these world class cyclists on Omani soil and
to be able to rub shoulders and interact with cyclists of this calibre.” On
the day’s menu: 148.5 km of riding all the way to Samayil. The first
breakaway occurred after only 2 kilometres when Sergent (TLS) broke away,
but the New-Zealander was rapidly caught back by the pack. Five kilometres
later, four riders took off: Gastauer (ALM), Stewart (BMC), Vandewalle (TSV)
and Dowset (TLS). From then on the pack led by the Saur-Sojasun team of red
jersey Casper started moving closer to the escapees.
Time then for the strong teams to start preparing for a bunch sprint on the
last lap of a circuit designed around Samayil. The pack remained together
all the way to the line where Daniele Bennati (LIQ) proved to be the
fastest. In impressive fashion, the Italian beat Farrar (GRM) and Boasson
Hagen (SKY) to claim stage 2 of the event. Thanks to precious seconds
captured on the line, Boasson Hagen, who finished second in the opening
stage, took over the race lead from yesterday's winner, Jimmy Casper and
clinches the overall leader’s red jersey as well as the green and white
jerseys.
First and third of the day’s intermediate sprint, Kristof Vandewalle
conquers the red, green and white jersey for combativeness. The Wali of
Samayil Khalifa bin Hamed al Saadi also expressed his praise of the which
passed through Samayil and neighbouring villages. “This is a worthy event as
it encourages the young and others to exercise. Our streets were lined with
school students, parents and excited youths creating a festive atmosphere
with an Omani folklore band, dancers, recital of poetry also taking place.
We look forward to welcoming them back next year.” Stage Three will be now
be a 125km race from Sifat Ak Sheikh to Quriyat, starting at 1pm. |