Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) powered to victory on the Muttrah Waterfront, on Tuesday.
Already a winner on day 1, the Colombian ‘Misil’ capped off a thrilling week of racing with a fast and furious sprint to take the win ahead of Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Amaury Capiot (Arkea-Samsic). Jan Hirt (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) resisted his rivals’ attacks on a rolling terrain to secure the overall victory on the day after his dominant performance up Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain).
The 89-man peloton set off from the prestigious district of Al Mouj Muscat in sunny and hot conditions. Seven attackers jump ahead of the peloton in the first kilometers raced on the coastline: Johan Meens (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB), Antonio Angulo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH), Mohamed al Wahibi (Oman National Selection), Martin Lopez and Alexandre Vinokurov (Astana Qazaqstan Development Team).
Relentless action in the final 50km
Team BikeExchange-Jayco and the UAE Team Emirates quickly take the reins of the bunch to control the gap of around 2 minutes. The race opens up in the first ascent of the day, the short and step climb of Al Hamriyah (0.8km at 9.8%), to be summited with 52.5km to go. At the front, Angulo leads the way to the summit with Meens, Langellotti and Lopez. In the peloton, Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) and Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-Samsic) go on the move, setting off relentless action.
The peloton splits due to the hard chase on rolling terrain. But most of the riders come back together inside the last 30km, just ahead of the final circuit, a 7.5km loop around the shimmering Matrah Corniche.
Quick-Step controls, UAE concludes
Attacks keep flying, with Denis Strakhov (Gazprom-RusVelo) setting off at the front with 25km to go. Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) goes after him, but Mark Cavendish’s Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team drive the bunch to reel in the attackers with 12km to go.
Soren Kragh Andersen (Team DSM) kicks on the final uphill, inside the last 3km to go, but the Wolfpack catches him again.
In the final kilometer, UAE Team Emirates launch Fernando Gaviria to his second victory of the season.
