Some of the top teams in world cycling have been confirmed as taking part in the second edition of the Tour of Oman, including the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project of defending champion Fabian Cancellara. The big Swiss rider is yet to confirm that he will take part, but he may well opt to follow a similar programme to last season.
A total of ten ProTeams will travel to the Arab country, with Cancellara’s squad being joined by US teams BMC Racing, Garmin-Cervélo, Team HTC-Highroad, the British Team Sky, Italian set-ups Lampre-ISD and Liquigas-Cannondale, the Belgian Quick Step team of Tom Boonen, Kazakstan’s Astana and Dutch squad Rabobank.
The remainder of the lineup will be completed by Professional Continental teams, namely French squads Cofidis and FDJ, the new Australian Pegasus Sports squad, Geox-TMC of Spain, the Italian Farnese Neri outfit and the Belgian Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator team.
A press conference was held today to announce those details of the 2.1-ranked race, which will run from February 16-20 and have a far hillier parcours in 2011. It will include the climb of Jebel Akdar (Green Mountain), and will see the riders clash over six stages.
Five-time Tour de France stage winners Eddy Merckx and Bernhard Hinault were present at the launch, along with Tour organiser Christian Prudhomme and Director-General Saif Al Rashidy from the Muscat Municipality.
“Racing through Oman’s magnificent countryside, the atmosphere was exhilarating,” stated Prudhomme about this year’s edition. “Watching nearly one hundred and thirty professional cyclist speeding past was the first introduction to this competitive sport for the majority of the spectators and the enthusiasm shown is a bedrock for ensuring the future success of the competition.
“With the edition of the Sultanate of Oman to the world circuit, the cycling world continues to extend its realm in new directions. More than ever, we believe that the Tour of Oman has a great future worthy of the prestige of this great nation.”
Cancellara beat Edvald Boasson Hagen by 28 seconds to win the 2010 edition, with Australian talent Cameron Meyer finishing third.
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2011 Tour of Oman:
Stage 1: Tuesday, 15 February 2011: Al Sawadi to al Seeb, 158km
Stage 2: Wednesday, 16 February 2011: The Wave, Muscat to Al Wutayya, 150km
Stage 3: Thursday, 17 February 2011: Sur to Sur, 208 km
Stage 4: Friday, 18 February 2011: Sultan Qaboos University to Jabal Ak Akhdhar, 157km
Stage 5: Saturday, 19 February 2011: Al Jissah to al Jissah, 18km
Stage 6: Sunday, 20 February 2011: Qurayat to Matrah Corniche, 157km