00:00the 2026 muscat classic fourth edition of this fascinating race and last year's winner rick
00:09plumier of tudor pro cycling was back to defend his title but wouldn't be able to go under the
00:15radar this year first time to defend a victory so i'm just really motivated to try to do the
00:23same as last year at a good winter so i'm really happy to be here and motivated and i think the
00:29shape is there so i will try my best last year i was top ten i won i think i was six seven so i hope
00:36to be there again this year in terms of condition i think i'm good i did a well training i'm quite
00:43motivated a muscat classic è una gara particolare perché tre chilometri dall'arrivo con una discesa
00:53molto ripida e quindi è fondamentale farsi trovare pronti sull'ultima salita e avere la forza per fare
01:02un buon sprint my targets are clearly to to win in oman in this weekend oman maybe the profile of
01:10muscat classic it's the best for profile for my characteristic and with my condition i can't
01:17try to take the road starting at almuj the peloton a road south and then east around muscat the first
01:26half a fast and flat loop from and back to the coast then the road would turn uphill six categorized
01:33climbs and a nine percent gradient 5k from the finish in albustan the ultimate launch pad for a
01:39sprint finish and we're off it's a beautiful day in this beautiful country and the hospitality for
01:46which oman is famed extends to cyclists adam yates is one of the favorites he's the two-time defending
01:52tour of oman champion but we wait to see what will happen at the end an early attack straight out of
01:58the blocks from baptiste viestroffer of lotto intermarche john the baptist and the baptiste is gone
02:05and he stayed gone too the 25 year old frenchman spent the entire day over 150 kilometers alone at
02:12the front in the heat in the dust and in the saddle even chain problems couldn't stop him and that was
02:18the move of the day a solo one a maximum advantage for him of five minutes and 35 seconds one of the
02:25biggest gaps of the season so far and it was reached early at kilometer 16
02:29well baptiste knew that his day wasn't going to end in a victory it's basically impossible for a lone
02:40rider to stay out in front for 176k and make it alone to the finish he was caught and the peloton was
02:47reduced to 50 to 60 riders but chapeau young man his day will come and we were all baptized by the
02:55estroffer today that high pace caused a significant selection from the back and some of the sprinters
03:01were distanced permanently attack after attack skirmish after skirmish and nothing was sticking
03:07except the realization that we had no idea how this would turn out flags were raised but we didn't know
03:14whose arms would be raised come the finish whittled down like a set of home carved chess pieces the bunch
03:20got smaller and smaller but then the winner of the tour of amman for the last two years adam yates
03:26and with him a two-pronged jaco duo mauro schmidt and lucas plapp this was at 5k to go as the gradients
03:33of al-gissa punished away they went the three musketeers and away they stayed
03:38coming into the final straight and plapp was at the back he had worked hard with one of his best
03:46friends in the pro peloton mauro schmidt he bided his time and adam yates i think at this point
03:51knew that he wasn't going to raise his arms today this is not a finish for adam yates but mauro schmidt
03:57it certainly is
03:59this is uh the dream scenario and and apparently it was planned i'm uh i'm rooming here with with
04:07flappy and uh since uh since coming from australia we were uh looking at the fans from the last couple
04:13of years and uh we we pretty much planned it uh exactly like it happened so i think um yeah went
04:19went pretty perfect in the end have a great shape but yeah in the end winning bike races is uh is
04:25something else so i think to be able to win this is extremely nice
04:292025 swiss national champion in both the itt and the road race and he certainly loves the early
04:38february races last year it was the cadell evans great ocean road race and this year in 26 it's
04:44the muscat classic an 11th career win and well done mauro schmidt
04:48so
05:00you
