In the last two editions, Adam Yates has been the undisputed master of the Tour of Oman, and this year he returned to the Arabian peninsula to secure his third consecutive success. The Omani race is stimulating, with few stages, but an outcome that is far from uncertain and often influenced by the final stage at Green Mountain, perfectly suited to the British rider's characteristics.

It's a welcome return, especially for the organizers who welcomed Adam like a superstar, but within the British rider's calendar, this race assumes a strategic and highly decisive role in understanding his form. For the first time in his entire career, he decided to start from Australia, move to the other side of the world during the off-season with his film wife, and begin building his form piece by piece.  "Australia was a great experience, something absolutely new for me that changed my early season plans a bit. I was there for about a month with my family, trained well, and feel satisfied. The only regret is that they canceled the most important stage, and I couldn't effectively test my legs. As a team, we won with Jay Vine, and I'm happy to have helped him. I'm doing well and now I'm curious to understand how I can manage this form that arrives much earlier than I'm used to. Compared to many other athletes from Europe, I feel advantaged because I'm already used to the heat, and from the second stage, I'll see how it goes," Yates tells us, leaving unfinished a question he himself poses: will he be able to maintain his form until the major seasonal appointments? For now, it's a maybe, but certainly within a handful of days, we'll have our answer.

The objective is more than clear: to take home the overall victory, but also a stage win that was missing last year. The Omani race can also be read as one of the many opportunities available to Yates to take on captain roles in a team with multiple champions. Needless to say, in other teams he would have likely covered a different role. At UAE, the British rider not only found space but also a stimulating environment that helps him find the best version of himself. This wasn't a rule he discovered during the race; when he signed with the Emirati team, he knew exactly what role he would take on and immediately made himself available as a highly luxurious domestique. "The UAE Team is very united; we try to spur each other on to improve and break our victory records. Certainly, I like being a leader, but often I need to relieve some pressure and am happy to help my teammates. When I arrived at UAE, I knew my role would be to help Pogacar on climbs, but also to have my personal opportunities. It's a dimension where I feel very comfortable – in recent years, we've been the best team in the world, and I'm happy to be part of it. Logically, we have a leader we refer to, but each of us can have our spaces. We talk to each other clearly and together try to find the right calendar for each. Tadej has an incredible dedication to work; in races, he makes everything seem simple, but behind it, there's meticulous work in all his training. He has the incredible ability to manage pressure, isn't afraid to take responsibility for a race, and this absolutely benefits everyone, giving us the opportunity to be lighter and give our best."

In this edition too, the key stages will be Eastern Mountain and Green Mountain, where last year Yates finished second on both occasions, enjoying the final success. Challenging the British rider will again be Valentin Paret Peintre, who arrived in Oman with the goal of taking revenge, but not only, as there's a group of athletes ready to battle. To literally mention a couple, we could talk about Sepp Kuss, the 2023 Vuelta winner, also emerging from his luxury domestique role for Vingegaard, and especially a super-equipped and motivated XDS Astana team eager to throw a wrench in UAE Team Emirates XRG's plans.

On the eve of the Oman race, Adam Yates was the most requested by us journalists, with many questions and curiosity about his season, his team role, and then that topic we all hesitated a bit to ask about: his twin brother's retirement. The British rider doesn't hide and says something more than clear: it's a choice that not everyone would have agreed with, and certainly few would have had the courage to make, so it must be respected. "My brother has been in cycling for a long time; he made the decision he felt he needed to feel good. When he chose to leave, we were far apart, he was in Spain, I was in Australia. We talked on the phone; he told me his reasons, and I could only accept his decision. I believe that in a world like cycling, you need strong motivation. He wasn't feeling good anymore, and it made no sense to continue and suffer. Now he does a lot of gym, has already put on muscle, is enjoying life on the other side, and is getting ready for what I'll also find in a few years."