Juan Sebastian Molano outsprints Fernando Gaviria in stage one of Tour of Oman 2026
Juan Sebastian Molano won the first stage of the Tour of Oman 2026. The 31-year-old Colombian from UAE Emirates XRG was the fastest in the bunch sprint on the streets of Bimmah Sink Hole. He beat the emerging Fernando Gaviria and Gerben Thijssen. Naturally, Molano also becomes the first leader of this Pro Series race.
The opening ride from Bushar to Bimmah Sink Hole covered 171 kilometers and suited the fast men. Although the steep Jabal Road (3.5 km at 9.2%) came immediately after the start, the remainder of the route was predominantly flat leading to the finish. Last year, Olav Kooij won the almost identical opening stage, whose final stretch ran along the Omani coast.
The riders were eager, and the opening phase saw plenty of attacks. After about six kilometers, a trio managed to break away from the peloton's front. These were Alex Díaz (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), his compatriot José Luis Faura (Burgos Burpellet BH), and Patryk Goszczurny (normally Visma | Lease a Bike Development, but here with the main squad thanks to the mix rule). The young Pole (19) was first to summit Jabal Road.
The peloton found the leading trio a perfect scenario, because ten kilometers after Goszczurny and Faura broke away, they already had almost a three-minute advantage on the pack. In the peloton, Alpecin-Premier Tech took the initiative. With a likely sprint finish looming, they focused their efforts on sprinter Gerben Thijssen. Earlier this week, he spoke to our camera in Oman about how he hopes to develop within Mathieu van der Poel's team.
With around one hundred kilometers to go, UAE Emirates XRG (supporting Juan Sebastian Molano) lent a helping hand to the Belgian team. The breakaway still held just two and a half minutes' lead at that point and never gained much more all day. In the latter part of the stage, it became clear the peloton wanted to take their time reeling the trio in as late as possible. With 22 kilometers to go, their escape was over.
A sprint written in the stars
And so the peloton charged toward the expected bunch sprint. In the final kilometers, Cofidis (Bryan Coquard) and TotalEnergies (Emilien Jeannière) also moved up front. On smooth, wide roads, nothing stood in the way of a royal sprint. In the final straight, Alpecin-Premier Tech delivered a perfect lead-out for Thijssen. Nonetheless, Molano came around the outside at full speed. In the last meters, Fernando Gaviria closed in, but it was not enough.
