As we told you, you never know what might happen at the Muscat Classic, we were ready for battle, but certainly not expecting to see a rider like Adam Yates challenging the group. The race exploded thanks to the British rider's attack, an action planned together with Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid who collaborated without hesitation until they raced to a three-way sprint.

In Australia, Mauro Schmid had come close twice before, with a fourth and a third place that confirmed his excellent form and desire to finally grab a victory. However, this success did not come by chance, it was the result of a planned and re-planned action from a few nights ago, a gamble to try to shake things up a bit. It had the flavor of a gamble, but now we can say: everything went perfectly. "Plapp and I are roommates, but also good friends with Adam Yates. We all came from Australia, we're feeling good and tried to make the most of our form. Just last Sunday at the Cadel Evans Ocean Road Race we faced a race with a similar finale and knew we could make a difference. Last night and in the previous days, we talked with Adam, who knew this race well, and we tried to plan an attack. He's one of the best climbers in the group, and having him as an ally was crucial because we would have one less team pulling in the group. Then in the sprint, we played on our numerical superiority, and I just had to hold on. I'm really happy with this victory, especially because it's the first with the Swiss champion jersey," explained Mauro, who at the finish received congratulations not only from his teammates but also from a satisfied Adam Yates.

The tactic was clear, but it wasn't easy to fine-tune, especially because there was a group intent on making the race hard. In the last 30 km, Team Tudor and XDS Astana gave a powerful acceleration, and for the three attackers, it was crucial to attack as late as possible to avoid the peloton's comeback. "It was not a very simple day, I came from Australia, but it wasn't this hot there and everyone suffered quite a bit on the first climb. Fortunately, the rider in the breakaway allowed us to save energy in the belly of the group, we waited for the right moment - continues Schmid - we knew it wasn't easy to arrive alone at the finish line, many teams in the group wanted to sprint, and the only way to surprise them was to attack as late as possible and then push through. The road seemed endless, the finish line wasn't coming, at one point I literally started counting the kilometers left, but fortunately everything went according to plan. Tomorrow, however, a new race begins, we are in Oman with a very strong formation open to multiple solutions, we are ready to fight."

The Muscat Classic was born as a kind of appetizer for the Tour of Oman, but this year more than ever, it leaves us a clear indication of Adam Yates' desire to make a difference. We knew he was in good form, he told us himself during the media meeting, and this second place is a clear signal. "Plapp and Schmid are two friends, we knew today would be a difficult day to interpret, so we wanted to try, after all, we had nothing to lose. We tried to make the most of the last climb, and for me, it was very useful to test myself, understand my form for the stage race. It was a good test, and now I have many more certainties and motivations," explains Adam, who tomorrow can enjoy a relatively restful day serving Sebastian Molano, the team's sprinter, and then starting Saturday, things will get serious for real.