MUSCAT: David Gaudu from Groupama–FDJ triumphed in Stage 3 of the 14th Tour of Oman on Monday, clinching victory at the demanding summit finish at Eastern Mountain, located beneath the majestic Jabal Shams, the highest peak in Oman.
The French cyclist edged out defending champion Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) by a mere second, marking his first win of the season and taking over the red leader’s jersey from Louis Vervaeke (Soudal–Quick-Step).
The stage, covering 180.8 kilometers, culminated in a thrilling sprint where Gaudu outpaced Yates, while Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) secured third place, finishing five seconds behind.
Gaudu now holds a 6-second lead in the overall standings over Yates, with Howson trailing by 12 seconds as the race approaches its final stages.
Stage 3 featured the first of two summit finishes, pushing climbers to their limits with a challenging ascent to Eastern Mountain, which stands at 1,016 meters above sea level.
The stage commenced under the sweltering heat of Fanja at 10:34 am, with 117 riders still competing.
Initially, six riders broke away from the main group, including Nicolas Vinokourov (XDS Astana), Rayan Boulahoite (TotalEnergies), Nur Amirull Mazuki (Terengganu), Andreas Miltiadis (Roojai Insurance), along with Omani national team members Said Al Rahbi and Mohamed Al Wahibi.
However, Al Wahibi had to abandon the breakaway early due to a puncture at the 27 km mark, leaving his fellow escapees to continue the race without him.
The breakaway group struggled to establish a substantial advantage, as the peloton remained alert and responsive.
Soudal–Quick-Step, led by Louis Vervaeke, swiftly took charge of the pursuit, ensuring that the gap did not exceed 3 minutes. UAE Team Emirates XRG soon joined the chase, aiming to safeguard the position of Yates, the defending champion and a strong contender for consecutive victories.
As the race progressed, the breakaway began to fragment. Al Rahbi, Miltiadis, and Mazuki faced difficulties and were ultimately dropped, leaving only Vinokourov and Boulahoite to continue. The duo maintained a 2-minute lead as they approached the first intermediate sprint at Birkat Al Mouz, with Vinokourov securing the maximum points while Kevin Vermaerke (Picnic PostNL) led the peloton across the line for a bonus second.
Upon reaching the final ascent to Eastern Mountain, Vinokourov had created a gap over Boulahoite, entering the climb with a 50-second advantage. However, the main peloton, now under the control of Groupama–FDJ, was closing in rapidly, and at the 2.7 km mark, Vinokourov was caught.
As the climb intensified, Clément Braz Afonso of Groupama–FDJ played a pivotal role in setting up his leader, Gaudu, for an attack just before the red kite.
In an exhilarating series of attacks, Gaudu and Yates exchanged moves, with Gaudu unable to shake off the British rider for a significant portion of the climb. However, as they neared the final few hundred meters, Gaudu found an extra gear, narrowly defeating Yates in a fiercely contested sprint to the finish.
Gaudu’s victory also allowed him to claim the red jersey from Vervaeke, who had been dropped from the lead group with just 3 km to go. The Belgian had played a crucial role in supporting his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre, who finished fourth, 13 seconds behind Gaudu.
