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No bungle for Bob Jungels as he prevails in Tour of Oman Stage 1

February 16, 2016
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Etixx-QuickStep’s Luxembourger Bob Jungels attacked a select group that had formed on two challenging hills at the end of Tuesday’s first stage of the Tour of Oman to take the win and the first red leader’s jersey in Al Bustan. Jungels, who transferred to Etixx from Trek this season, grabbed his first victory since the Etoile de Bessèges time trial and overall in 2015.

Five riders including Tour de San Luis Stage 3 winner Peter Koning (The Netherlands/Drapac) skipped away early, only to see their lead dwindle before the first intermediate stage of the day, as BMC and Astana pulled the peloton. Before the first of two scrambles up Al Jissah in the final 25-km, headwinds ruined any chance of the escapees staying away.

There were only three fugitives remaining right before the first passage of the Al Jissah hill, and they were caught before the first attacks from the peloton, still mostly intact. On the second climb a select group formed, one without Richie Porte (Australia/BMC), who went out the back, and Eduardo Sepulveda (Argentina/Fortuneo-Vital Concept), who crashed.

Luxembourg national champion Jungels used his 55-tooth chain ring to attack on the downhill, gap the others and stay away on a short flat, with Serge Pauwels (Belgium/Dimension Data) the runner-up six-seconds behind.

Wednesday the race heads out on a 162-km route that finishes on a sharp, short climb up to Quriyat.

2016 Tour of Oman Stage 1
1) Bob Jungels (Luxembourg/Etixx-QuickStep) 3:37:33
2) Serge Pauwels (Belgium/Dimension Data) +0:06
3) Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) +0:08
65) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +1:36

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