Christian Scaroni doubles up in final stage of Tour of Oman and takes overall win, Luke Plapp surprises

The final stage of the Tour of Oman 2026 delivered a victory for Christian Scaroni. The 28-year-old Italian from XDS Astana was the best climber on Green Mountain during an uphill finish. He left teammate Cristián Rodríguez and the surprise Luke Plapp behind. With his win, Scaroni also takes the overall title of the Tour of Oman 2026, dethroning Mauro Schmid from the leader’s jersey.

This year, the Tour of Oman again concluded atop Green Mountain, a 5.7-kilometer climb averaging 10.5%. In recent years, this mountain has been the decisive factor in this race. In the past, riders like Robert Gesink have claimed victory on this ascent. The final stage covered nearly 156 kilometers in total. Apart from the last climb, the route held no significant obstacles.

In the early phase, several riders tried to create a gap. Overall leader Mauro Schmid even spent some time at the back of the peloton. It took about an hour before the decisive breakaway of the day was formed. A group of five gained the peloton’s approval: Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Florian Dauphin (TotalEnergies), Frederik Dversnes and Jonas Hvideberg from Uno-X Mobility, and Johan Price-Pejtersen of Alpecin-Premier Tech.

Although the five never established a large lead, it lasted until the slopes of Green Mountain before the last escapee was caught. UAE Emirates XRG led the chase in the peloton for Adam Yates, who has won this race in the last two editions. Eventually, his first acceleration brought five riders with him, including pairs from XDS Astana and Jayco AlUla. Overall leader Schmid—who rides for the last team—was not among them, riding in a chasing group.

Cristian Rodríguez took the front for teammate Christian Scaroni, who was second overall before the stage on behalf of XDS Astana. That pace proved too much for Nairo Quintana, as well as for Yates, the other lone rider in the six-man lead group. Surprisingly, it was Luke Plapp who launched the decisive attack in the final kilometer. No one seemed able to respond, until Scaroni surged past him in the last two hundred meters with a few powerful pushes.

Teammate Rodríguez took the second spot behind him, securing valuable UCI points. Plapp just held off Yates for third place. By winning the stage, Scaroni also claimed the overall victory in this Tour of Oman 2026.