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Boasson Hagen with brace of wins as Hugo Houle gets in Tour of Oman’s Stage 5 breakaway

On Saturday Dimension Data's Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen snagged his second stage victory of the 2016 Tour of Oman and his third win of the month.

February 20, 2016
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On Saturday Dimension Data’s Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen snagged his second stage victory of the 2016 Tour of Oman and his third win of the month, prevailing in a reduced-bunch sprint finish just east of Muscat on a day when Canadian Hugo Houle (AG2R) was in the breakaway. With Alexander Kristoff’s triumph on Thursday, it’s three out of five stages to the Norwegians. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) will wear the red leader’s jersey on Sunday’s final stage.

Houle broke away early with Dutchman Pieter Weening (Roompot) and South African Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data). The trio ran through the first intermediate sprint and two King of the Mountain points in the same order: South Africa, Canada, the Netherlands. Before the three passages of Bousher Al Amerat, a 3.4-km, 6.8% climb, the trio’s gap went up.

Lampre and Astana led the peloton in pursuit over the 30-km between the second KOM and first passage of Al Amerat, where, once more, the fugitives slipped over the top in the same order but with a reduced lead. Houle fell off the pace during the second climb while the GC men clustered at the front of the peloton.

Van Rensberg distanced Weening on the second clamber, but the Dutchman latched back on. From the peloton Stage 1 winner Bob Jungels (Luxembourg/Etixx-QuickStep) and fluffy-haired Italian Daniel Oss (BMC) made a move and bridged to Houle, who was dangling in the gap. This new chase trio didn’t last long as Nibali’s gang continued to pull hard, bringing Van Rensberg and Weening closer.

Second place Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) attacked immediately on the final scramble up Al Amerat, but Nibali pegged him back. All the attacking did was bring the lead duo’s gap to 38-seconds with a descent and 10-km to the finish at the Ministry of Tourism. Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/BMC) and Dan Martin (Ireland/Etixx) attempted a downhill thrust but were brought back.

It all came back together but Van Avermaet got some satisfaction in being runner-up to Boasson Hagen in the sprint.

The 2016 Tour of Oman’s final stage features a couple of small climbs and a finish at the Matrah Corniche.


2016 Tour of Oman Stage 5
1) Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway/Dimension Data) 3:05:32
2) Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/BMC) s.t.
3) Marco Canola (Italy/UnitedHealthcare) s.t.
75) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +5:41


2016 Tour of Oman GC
1) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) 19:24:07
2) Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) +0:15
3) Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark/Astana) +0:24