The American remains in contention to win a jersey at the Tour of Oman.
For the second day running, the start was moved early in the morning and the stage course was altered due to the heavy rain. This meant the riders now had to embark on a 104km journey from Fanja to the Yitti Hills, where another demanding finish awaited, pretty similar to the one in Qurayyat.
Soudal Quick-Step worked hard at the front of the peloton the entire day for red jersey Luke Lamperti, who was in the overall lead following his strong runner-up place in Al Bustan, Antoine Huby and Gil Gelders putting in a considerable effort to bring back the attackers and make sure Luke would start the last hill in a good position.
The young American was there the entire time, but the numerous attacks that came inside the final two kilometers made for some relentless racing, and this took its toll on Luke, who found himself towards the back of the group when the sprint began. Amaury Capiot (Arkea – B&B Hotels) was the one who took the victory, while Lamperti had to cede the leader’s jersey due to the bonifications Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) scored at the second intermediate sprint of the day.
Ahead of the final stage, which will take the riders to the top of the gruelling Jabal Al Akhdhar climb, Luke continues to top the points classification and on Wednesday will sport the green jersey, which he has a chance of taking home at the end of the race.
Photo credit: ©A.S.O. / Oman Cycling Association / Pauline Ballet
