# 2010 Tour of Oman

The 2010 Tour of Oman was the first edition of the Tour of Oman cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Asia Tour, and held from 14 February to 19 February 2010, in Oman. The race was won by Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank.

## Teams

Sixteen teams competed in the 2010 Tour of Oman. These included ten UCI ProTour teams, five UCI Professional Continental teams, and one Continental team. Each team entered a squad of eight riders, giving the Tour a peloton of 128 riders.
The teams that participated in the race were:
* Ag2r–La Mondiale
* BMC Racing Team
* Cervélo TestTeam
* Garmin–Transitions
* Liquigas–Doimo
* Omega Pharma–Lotto
* Quick-Step
* Saur–Sojasun
* Team HTC–Columbia
* Team Katusha
* Team Milram
* Team Saxo Bank
* Team Sky
* Trek-Livestrong U23
* Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator
* Vacansoleil

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 14 February 2010 – Muscat Corniche, 61 km (37.9 mi)

The Frenchman Jimmy Casper outsprinted the peloton.
The first stage was a night time stage along a 16 lap course in Muscat Corniche. This night racing made the first couple of laps cautious because the riders had to race without headlights and did not want to risk an accident.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Jimmy Casper (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | 1h 22' 12" |
| 2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | st. |
| 3 | Kenny Dehaes (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | st. |
| 4 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 5 | Francesco Chicchi (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | st. |
| 6 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | st. |
| 7 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | st. |
| 8 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | st. |
| 9 | Andreas Stauff (GER) | Quick-Step | st. |
| 10 | Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG) | Team Saxo Bank | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Jimmy Casper (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | 1h 22' 12" |
| 2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | + 4" |
| 3 | Kenny Dehaes (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 6" |
| 4 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | +10" |
| 5 | Francesco Chicchi (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | +10" |
| 6 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | +10" |
| 7 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | +10" |
| 8 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | +10" |
| 9 | Andreas Stauff (GER) | Quick-Step | +10" |
| 10 | Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG) | Team Saxo Bank | +10" |

### Stage 2
#### 15 February 2010 – Nizwa to Samail, 148.5 km (92.3 mi)

Daniele Bennati won the stage in a sprint finish. It was his first victory since February 28, 2009. He outsprinted American sprinter Tyler Farrar and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen to get the victory. He dedicated the race to Franco Ballerini, an Italian cyclist who died February 7, 2010.
In the Tour of Qatar Daniele Bennati helped out his team mate Francesco Chicchi but today was the reverse. With no one making a move with 300m to go so Bennati jumped and had enough speed to hold off the other sprinters. He credits his team mates Francesco Chicchi and Daniel Oss for giving him a great lead out. This victory put Bennati in a comfortable 3rd position overall with the same time as the leader.
The three riders tied for first are (in order): Edvald Boasson Hagen, Jimmy Casper, and Daniele Bennati.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | 3h 33' 03" |
| 2 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | st. |
| 4 | Matti Breschel (DEN) | Team Saxo Bank | st. |
| 5 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | st. |
| 6 | Andreas Klier (GER) | Cervélo TestTeam | st. |
| 7 | Roger Hammond (GBR) | Cervélo TestTeam | st. |
| 8 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | st. |
| 9 | Romain Feillu (FRA) | Vacansoleil | st. |
| 10 | Jimmy Casper (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | 4h 55' 15" |
| 2 | Jimmy Casper (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | st. |
| 3 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | st. |
| 4 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | + 4" |
| 5 | Kenny Dehaes (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 6" |
| 6 | Kristof Vandewalle (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 6" |
| 7 | Ben Gastauer (NED) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 7" |
| 8 | Alex Dowsett (GBR) | Trek Livestrong U23 | + 8" |
| 9 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | + 10" |
| 10 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 10" |

### Stage 3
#### 16 February 2010 – Saifat Ash Shiekh to Qurayyat, 124 km (77.1 mi)

Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen confirmed that he is the big favourite to win the first edition of the Tour of Oman by winning Tuesday's third stage to Qurayyat and extending his overall lead.
The 22-year-old Norwegian got a perfect leadout from his teammates, responded to a late surge by the Garmin–Transitions team and then accelerated to the line to win with his arms waving in celebration. Team Katusha's Danilo Napolitano was 2nd and Tyler Farrar was 3rd.
The 10 second time bonus won in the stage puts him 10 seconds ahead of Tyler Farrar who is in 2nd place.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | 3h 05' 49" |
| 2 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | st. |
| 3 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 4 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | st. |
| 5 | Stuart O'Grady (AUS) | Team Saxo Bank | st. |
| 6 | Lloyd Mondory (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | st. |
| 7 | Peter Wrolich (AUT) | Team Milram | st. |
| 8 | Romain Feillu (FRA) | Vacansoleil | st. |
| 9 | Klaas Lodewijck (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | st. |
| 10 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | 8h 00' 54" |
| 2 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | + 10" |
| 3 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | + 10" |
| 4 | Danilo Napolitano (ITA) | Team Katusha | + 14" |
| 5 | Gatis Smukulis (LAT) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 15" |
| 6 | Lieuwe Westra (NED) | Vacansoleil | + 16" |
| 7 | Kristof Vandewalle (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 16" |
| 8 | Ben Gastauer (LUX) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 9 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 20" |
| 10 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 20" |

### Stage 4
#### 17 February 2010 – Ibri to Nakhal, 187 km (116.2 mi)

The Tour of Oman exploded during the toughest stage of the race on Wednesday as Team Sky and the rest of the peloton swapped below the belt punches during the race and then accusations on unfair play after the finish. Australia's Leigh Howard won the stage with a fine sprint on the slightly uphill finish.
Team Sky riders let a six-rider break gain almost seven minutes in the first hour and then were angry when no other teams were willing to help them chase the break.
Several riders claimed that the Team Sky riders vented their anger on the peloton by blasting through the feed zone and then put the peloton in the gutter by riding a half-road echelon when the wind changed direction.
That especially angered Cervélo TestTeam, who retaliated by splitting the race when Edvald Boasson Hagen stopped to uninate 55 km from the finish. Because he was race leader, Edvald Boasson Hagen had perhaps thought the peloton would wait for him, but in the heat of battle, nobody did and 41 riders group quickly formed an echelon and accelerated up the road. Boasson Hagen never caught up to the peloton and as a result finished 1'05" behind Leigh Howard and is currently in 34th position.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Leigh Howard (AUS) | Team HTC–Columbia | 4h 11' 31" |
| 2 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | st. |
| 3 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | st. |
| 4 | Roger Hammond (GBR) | Cervélo TestTeam | st. |
| 5 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 6 | Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL) | Team Katusha | st. |
| 7 | Sébastien Hinault (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | st. |
| 8 | Marcus Burghardt (GER) | BMC Racing Team | st. |
| 9 | Michael Schär (SWI) | BMC Racing Team | st. |
| 10 | Robert Hunter (RSA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Team Sky | 12h 12' 29" |
| 2 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | + 6" |
| 3 | Gatis Smukulis (LAT) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 6" |
| 4 | Leigh Howard (AUS) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 6" |
| 5 | Nikolay Trusov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 11" |
| 6 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | + 12" |
| 7 | Cyril Lemoine (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | + 14" |
| 8 | Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 16" |
| 9 | Sébastien Hinault (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 16" |
| 10 | Roger Hammond (GBR) | Cervélo TestTeam | + 16" |

### Stage 5
#### 18 February 2010 – Wattayat to Sultan Qaboos Stadium, 146 km (90.7 mi)

Quick-Step's Tom Boonen took his third win in 11 days of racing in the Gulf, winning a hectic sprint at the end of stage five of the Tour of Oman. Boonen won two stages in the Tour of Qatar and seemed back to his very best.
Tom Boonen got an excellent leadout from his teammates and then dug deep to find an extra bit of speed to beat Team Saxo Bank's Juan Jose Haedo.
The win put Tom Boonen 2 seconds behind the overall leader, Daniele Bennati.
After five days of racing, 26 riders are still within 16 seconds in the overall standings and so Friday's 18.5 km time trial will decide the winner of the inaugural Tour of Oman.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | 3h 23' 52" |
| 2 | Juan Jose Haedo (ARG) | Team Saxo Bank | st. |
| 3 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | st. |
| 4 | Baden Cooke (AUS) | Team Saxo Bank | st. |
| 5 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | st. |
| 7 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | st. |
| 8 | Roger Kluge (GER) | Team Milram | st. |
| 9 | Dominique Rollin (CAN) | Cervélo TestTeam | st. |
| 10 | Klaas Lodewijck (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | 15h 36' 21" |
| 2 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | + 2" |
| 3 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Transitions | + 6" |
| 4 | Gatis Smukulis (LAT) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 6" |
| 5 | Leigh Howard (AUS) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 6" |
| 6 | Juan Jose Haedo (ARG) | Team Saxo Bank | + 10" |
| 7 | Nikolay Trusov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 11" |
| 8 | Cyril Lemoine (FRA) | Saur-Sojasun | + 14" |
| 9 | Roger Hammond (GBR) | Cervélo TestTeam | + 16" |
| 10 | Sébastien Hinault (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 16" |

### Stage 6
#### 19 February 2010 – Al Jissah to Muscat Corniche, 18.6 km (11.6 mi) (ITT)

Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Sky won the 6th and final stage in the Tour of Oman, but time trialest Fabian Cancellara placed 2nd on the stage (17 seconds behind Edvald Boasson Hagen) which gave him the overall victory.
The win made Edvald Boasson Hagen as the youth classifications winner, as well as the green jersey for the overall points winner. Edvald Boasson Hagen hit speeds of almost 100 km/h 100 km/h (62 mph) on the fast downhill section following the second climb and swept up the riders in front of him throughout his ride.
Cancellara revealed he will not race again until the Eroica in Tuscany in early March. His winter training was disrupted by illness in January but he is now satisfied that he is back on schedule.
He is still some way from the Cancellara who can dominate Milan–San Remo, Paris–Roubaix and beat everyone in the big time trials, but his overall victory showed his class and experience. He was always in the right place during the decisive moments of the race and then used his time trialing skills and ability to hurt himself and come out on top. Cancellera was satisfied with his victory but admits he was hurting very much and that there is a lot of room for improvement for the big races later in the season.
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | 25' 28" |
| 2 | Fabian Cancellara (SUI) | Team Saxo Bank | + 17" |
| 3 | Cameron Meyer (AUS) | Garmin–Transitions | + 45" |
| 4 | Marco Pinotti (ITA) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 48" |
| 5 | Artem Ovechkin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 1' 01" |
| 6 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Team Milram | + 1' 11" |
| 7 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 1' 19" |
| 8 | Marcus Burghardt (GER) | BMC Racing Team | st. |
| 9 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 1' 20" |
| 10 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | st. |
| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara (SUI) | Team Saxo Bank | 16h 02' 52" |
| 2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team Sky | + 28" |
| 3 | Cameron Meyer (AUS) | Garmin–Transitions | st. |
| 4 | Marco Pinotti (ITA) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 31" |
| 5 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | + 47" |
| 6 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Team Milram | + 54" |
| 7 | Marcus Burghardt (GER) | BMC Racing Team | + 1' 02" |
| 8 | Martin Velits (SVK) | Team HTC–Columbia | + 1' 07" |
| 9 | Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL) | Quick-Step | + 1' 12" |
| 10 | Daniel Oss (ITA) | Liquigas–Doimo | + 1' 13" |

## Classification leadership

| Stage | Winner | General Classification | Points Classification | Young Rider Classification | Aggressive Cyclist Classification | Teams Classification |
| 1 | Jimmy Casper | Jimmy Casper | Jimmy Casper | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Marco Pinotti | Saur-Sojasun |
| 2 | Daniele Bennati | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Kristof Vandewalle | Team Saxo Bank |
| 3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Gatis Smukulis | Garmin–Transitions |
| 4 | Leigh Howard | Daniele Bennati | Tyler Farrar | Gatis Smukulis | Gatis Smukulis | Garmin–Transitions |
| 5 | Tom Boonen | Daniele Bennati | Tyler Farrar | Gatis Smukulis | Gatis Smukulis | Team Saxo Bank |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Fabian Cancellara | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Gatis Smukulis | Team HTC–Columbia |
| Final | Final | Fabian Cancellara | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Gatis Smukulis | Team HTC–Columbia |
For Stage 2, Kenny De Haes wore the green jersey.
For Stages 3 and 4, Tyler Farrar wore the green jersey, and Kristof Vandewalle wore the white jersey.
For Stage 5, Leigh Howard wore the white jersey.