Great cycling is ready to return to Oman for 6 days of racing that will take us to discover the fascinating country of the Arabian Peninsula. The Tour of Oman will officially start on Saturday, February 7th, but it will be preceded by the now traditional Muscat Classic, born in 2023 as a small appetizer that always offers beautiful surprises. The big news concerns the promotion of the ASO-branded race, which this year has been upgraded to the UCI 1.Pro category.

Now in its fourth edition, the Muscat Classic, scheduled for Friday, February 6th, presents itself as a grand-style inauguration, a way to test the legs ahead of the Tour of Oman. The route is almost unchanged from last year and offers a 174 km course that is not without challenges. Twice out of three times the finish has been in a sprint, with Rick Pluimers taking the victory, but a bold breakaway cannot be ruled out, as happened in 2024 thanks to Finn Fisher Black's impressive move.

The start is set in the beautiful Al Mouj Muscat neighborhood, with the group cycling around the capital Muscat before arriving at Al Bustan, where a slightly uphill finish awaits them. After an initial flat section, the caravan will tackle the Jabal Road climb, a 3.5 km ascent at 9.2% that is a true symbol of Oman as it will be present multiple times during the stage race and will be crucial in creating some selection. 60 km from the finish, they will enter a final circuit to be repeated twice, which includes the Hamriyah climb (900 m at 10.1%) and the Wadi al Kabir climb (2.1 km at 7.3%).

At the start of the Muscat Classic, there will be 11 World Tour teams accompanied by 6 Professional teams and the Oman National team. The participants are the same as the Tour of Oman, and here they will have the opportunity to warm up for the much-anticipated stage race. In its young history, no Italian has ever managed to win, and in 2023, Andrea Vendrame came very close, securing third place. Will we finally celebrate an Italian victory this year?