Hermans wins on Green Mountain to all but seal overall title
Ben Hermans (BMC) claimed his second stage win of the 2017 Tour of Oman on stage 5, triumphing atop Green Mountain on the crucial GC test of the race.
The Belgian held off Fabio Aru (Astana) and Rui Costa (UAE Abu Dhabi) on the 5.7km, 10 per cent climb, with other strong climbers scattered down the mountain.
The victory leaves him 22 seconds clear at the head of the overall standings and, with just tomorrow's flat final stage to negotiate, the 30-year-old looks set to land his first ever stage race victory.
Stage 5 Results
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#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4:08:46
2
Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
0:00:03
3
Rui Costa (Por) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
0:00:11
4
Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
0:00:27
5
Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
Row 4 - Cell 2
6
Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida
0:00:34
7
Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data
0:00:38
8
Mathias Frank (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
0:00:41
9
Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data
0:00:44
10
Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
Row 9 - Cell 2
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Final General Classification
#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team
17:59:17
2
Rui Costa (Por) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
0:00:22
3
Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
0:00:35
4
Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
0:00:58
5
Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida
0:01:12
6
Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
0:01:17
7
Mathias Frank (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
0:01:19
8
Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data
0:01:21
9
Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
0:01:33
10
Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data
0:01:38
The 2017 Tour of Oman will be the seventh edition of the race, which is run by Tour de France organiser ASO. The slate of February races in the Middle East has altered this year, with the Tour of Qatar surprisingly disappearing from the calendar and the Abu Dhabi Tour moving from its previous October date, but despite rumours of its demise, the Tour of Oman returns from February 14-19, with the summit finish again likely to prove decisive.
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Last year’s race was won by Vincenzo Nibali, and though the 2016 Giro d’Italia champion is not going to be on hand this time around, a number of other Grand Tour contenders have chosen the Tour of Oman as part of their early-season regimen. Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) finished on the podium in Oman a year ago and returns in 2017, while Fabio Aru (Astana) is looking to put a disappointing 2016 behind him and will look to start his campaign well in the Middle East. Former world champion Rui Costa (UAE Abu Dhabi), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) will also look to impress.
Despite the gap created by the lack of the Tour of Qatar, a host of Classics contenders will use the Tour of Oman as part of their preparation. Tom Boonen is at the head of a strong Quick-Step Floors team that also includes Niki Terpstra, while Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Filippo Pozzato (Wilier Triestina) are also in action.
The route of the Tour of Oman again offers opportunities for sprinters and puncheurs alike ahead of the anticipated GC sort-out on the slopes of Green Mountain on the penultimate stage. The opening leg to Naseem Park looks tailored for the fast men, while stage 2 to Al Bustan and stage 3 to Quriyat, with their hilly finales, provide the Classics stars with a chance to test their legs. Green Mountain, known locally as Jebel Akhdar, features in the race for the seventh consecutive time, and the 5.7-kilometre climb, with its average gradient of 10.5%, should prove decisive, as it did for Nibali in 2016.
