Why you should follow the Tour of Oman, starring Pogacar and Vingegaard's lieutenants
Those wanting to witness a first-class general classification battle between Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates XRG in 2026 should watch the Tour of Oman this week. Sepp Kuss is going head-to-head with Adam Yates. WielerFlits will be present in Oman for the next six days covering both the Muscat Classic and the eponymous stage race. Here, you can find video interviews with all the main protagonists as well as in-depth stories with a strong focus on the Belgian and Dutch teams.
1. A Dutch-Belgian Touch
Robert Gesink set the trend in 2011 by being the first to celebrate at Jabal al Akhdhar, or Green Mountain. Since then, this steep but short climb has been a fixed decisive feature in the five-day race. Ben Hermans was the first Belgian winner in 2016. Last year was another big Dutch celebration in Oman, with Rick Pluimers winning the Muscat Classic and Olav Kooij taking two sprint victories in the stage race.
Pluimers returns this year. Visma | Lease a Bike also fields several Dutch riders at the start. For the Dutch team, which returned last year after a nine-edition absence, low-pressure races like this are perfect opportunities to let members of the 'White Jersey Group' experiment alongside some veterans. Soudal Quick-Step is doing the same with defending champion Valentin Paret-Peintre, while Alpecin-Premier Tech and Lotto-Intermarché bring aggressive squads with fast men to the start line.
2. Kuss vs. Yates
Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates have been battling for years in the Grand Tours, and they seem set to do so again in this Tour of Oman. With Sepp Kuss and Adam Yates, the top favorites for the Green Mountain overall win come from the two strongest teams in the world; moreover, they are the so-called 'last men' who usually support Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar until the bitter end.
Earlier this year, both lost Simon Yates, who became demotivated and retired from the peloton—Kuss as a teammate, Yates as a brother. We spoke to both about this. Additionally, the race is new territory for Kuss, who wanted to start his season a bit differently. Yates, on the other hand, is starting for the third consecutive time but has already raced the Tour Down Under. As such, he remains cautious in his expectations. They face competition from riders like Valentin Paret-Peintre, Lorenzo Fortunato, and Nairo Quintana.
3. Looking at Tour Wildcards
The Tour of Oman is organized by ASO, so it’s no surprise that Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and TotalEnergies are on the start list. Both teams were also awarded the two wildcard slots for the Tour de France by the organizer. Unibet Rose Rockets missed out and are absent from Oman. Notably, Caja Rural fields an extremely strong team, including perhaps the biggest name in the lineup – sprint powerhouse Fernando Gaviria – alongside Stefano Oldani. We will explore their roles further.
