Tour of Oman, ambitions on all fronts
Pre-race
“I’ve only raced once in Oman, but that race worked well for me. The finishes are often for the puncheurs and that suits me, I am not angry (laughs) with the weather conditions which are good for this period of the season. It also suits me. I don’t really know what my ambitions are this year because we are at the beginning of the season and the conditions can still fluctuate. What I like about this kind of race is that everyone is on the same level, no one has their own team bus, we are all staying in the same place. We all have the same race conditions, so we start on the same balance of equality”.
“I’m going to discover the Tour of Oman, but I’ve seen the race a few times on TV and I’ve seen how difficult it is. These are difficult stages that seal the overall classification, like the one on Green Mountain, usually. My ambitions are to do the best I can, I have a good feeling in training. It’s clear that training and racing are two different things, but I feel good. I have contracted Covid, but I have not had any symptoms. The form is good, and we will join forces with Elie and me to bring back a good result for the Omani team“.
“This will be my second participation in the Tour of Oman, I had already competed in this event in 2019. It is a competition with diversified profiles with possibilities of sprint finishes, but also others on which the puncheurs can express themselves with finishes in small groups, which can suit Amaury, while our climbers-puncheurs will aim for a good place in the general classification as in 2019. The queen stage is of course always Green Mountain, the “mythical” climb of the Tour of Oman. I am happy to be back in the 2022 season, especially when I see my friends putting back their race numbers one after the other. It’s always more pleasant to start again in the sun. The roads are beautiful in the Sultanate of Oman, so it’s ideal for a restart. I feel that the whole team is motivated to continue with this competition and the one to come, to continue with this great dynamic that has been in place in our team since the first races.
The briefing
“We are going to the Tour of Oman in order to do as well as, if not better than the last time we competed in this event, 5th overall, but also best young rider, with Élie who is coming back to this event with good intentions. The course proposed this year is identical to the profiles proposed in 2019, we will also have ambitions for the sprints and puncheurs stages with Aumary Capiot who has unlocked his counter in the pros and who will obviously be confident. Winner will also be there and will be an asset for our climbers in Green Mountain, or even more depending on the race situation”.
News
Winner Anacona will race the Tour of Oman for the first time in his career, and Laurent Pichon will start 2022 in Oman.
The number
5
Élie Gesbert finished 5th in the general classification of the Tour of Oman in 2019, and also won the best young rider classification of this event.