Oman is a young cycling country, but it has an incredible desire to grow. In recent years, with the arrival of the stage race organized by ASO, more and more people are approaching cycling, seeing athletes on bicycles is no longer something strange but absolutely fascinating. The air of change is stronger than ever, and comparing this year's edition with the 2025 edition, giant steps have been taken.

Just by exchanging a few words with people on the street, you can understand that there is no desire to keep distance, but rather to know, understand, and discover something new. There are no longer only curious tourists, but children and especially girls who drag their parents towards cyclists, but then are afraid to approach them. Oman is not only discovering a new sport but is falling in love with it. The president of the cycling federation, Sayyid Fahd, proudly presents himself at every award ceremony, not hiding his big dreams of increasing the number of stages, and even trying to become a World Tour race. It's not a project to be done alone, but has the support of an entire community, with the ministry of health, sports, youth, but especially tourism, believing in it, investing, and involving the public.

Yesterday, before the official start of the inaugural stage of the Tour of Oman, we were attracted by the huge number of people present. We were in a square built in May 2025 right in front of the tourism ministry, and on a large avenue, hundreds of cyclists were lined up, ready to start with a smile on their face. It took us a while to understand, we approached, asked questions, everyone was surprised by our interest, but finally, we managed to solve what was far from a mystery. We had just witnessed the start of the Community Race, an event organized by the ministry of tourism and youth to introduce cycling during the Omani stage race. Oman is not entirely new to such events, often participated in by young people with a passion for trying cycling, and that's exactly what happened yesterday, but for the first time, there was also space for families. In addition to a 20-kilometer race, there was a 2.7 km parade, open to everyone without distinction of gender or age.

It was striking to see the excited faces of girls and boys, entire families trying to be cyclists for a day with ordinary bikes. There were many young people, but also women with veils, smiling, happy, for some, it was the first time they had covered such a long distance. Watching them was not an ocean of people, but their families, all proud of what was, in effect, a small conquest sanctioned by a participation medal. The most beautiful thing, however, was observing the bikes, so different from those of professional athletes parked nearby. They were bikes of a thousand colors, often borrowed from friends and relatives, with fringes and fenders, those used every day, through a thousand adventures. Saif had a pink one, and he told us it was his sister's backup bike, his had malfunctioned that very morning and he didn't have time to repair it. Others received it as a Christmas gift or even bought it specifically for the occasion.

The news that we are Italian journalists spreads quickly, some take our photos, others look at us in surprise, but among all, we are struck by two young boys proudly showing their participation medal. Khushi and Arav are cousins, and yesterday morning they realized their small dream of trying to ride a bike. Their sport is different; they have been playing badminton since they were 5 years old and enjoy it immensely, but recently they have been fascinated by cycling. No one expected it because it's unusual, yet in recent years, more and more bicycles have appeared in the neighborhood. Arav tells us that he sees cyclists passing on the sides of busy streets, especially in the early morning hours, and that the older brothers of his friends go to school by bike. Khushi, instead, often encounters them in the park near her home, but when she saw a girl her age pedaling, she wanted to follow her and try. For them, the bike is a gift from their parents that they carefully preserve, they only pedal in small parks, but when they discovered the existence of the Oman Community Race, they convinced their families to make the trip. "It's beautiful, we had never tried an experience like this, it's the first time we've tried to be real cyclists, and we liked it very much," they tell us, while their parents look at them proudly and, seeing their passion, hope to see them one day chasing their dreams and riding bikes.

Meanwhile, the presentation of the Tour of Oman teams has begun, and the cyclists for a day, adults and children, run towards the small stage, attracted by curiosity. Many are discovering what it means to ride a bike, others are already dreaming of doing so. Khushi, Arav, and their parents wave goodbye to us, taking yet another photograph. As we watch them walk away with the medal around their necks, we think about their story and that of hundreds of Community Ride participants. Cycling is still able to amaze and make people fall in love; perhaps we just need to look in the right direction.