What went wrong the day before worked twice as well this time. Peter Sagan not only gave his Cannondale team their first win of the season on the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman, he also took over the overall lead from André Greipel (Lotto Belisol), who, as expected, had nothing to do with the outcome on the difficult 173 kilometers from Wadi Al Abiyad to Boshar of the race had to do.
Rather, this determined a top trio that included Sagan, Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). The trio broke up after the last ascent to the Bousher Alamrat, whose average gradient of 6,8 percent Chris Froome (Sky) had previously wanted to use to his advantage. But unlike the Brit, the trio managed to keep the decimated peloton at bay. In the sprint, neither Uran nor Nibali were able to stand up to Sagan.
The stage was initially characterized by an early breakaway group, which included Evan Huffman (Astana), Yaroslav Popovych (Trek Factory Racing), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Belgian Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise). However, the group was caught relatively quickly on the finish loop around the Bousher Alamrat. Although Van Avermaet tried to defend himself against the emerging peloton as a soloist, his attack had no chance.
The race decision is likely to come at Green Mountain tomorrow, where Sagan will have to try and hold his own against the mountain-savvy riders.
Result
1. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) 4:02:20
2. Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 0:00:00
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) 0:00:02
4. Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) 0:00:02
5. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol) 0:00:02
Total
1. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) 14:46:44
2. Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 0:00:10
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) 0:00:14
4. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol) 0:00:17
5. Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) 0:00:18