Muscat – Tour of Oman 2023 is set to witness the who’s who of the world’s elite cyclists with defending champion Jan Hirt returning to the sultanate with a new team, Soudal Quick-Step.

The 12th edition of the 831km Tour of Oman will kick off on February 11 from Rustaq Fort to Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre with the participation of 18 teams representing well-known teams from Asia, Australia, Europe and the US.

Additionally, for the first time, a new race will be launched – Muscat Classic – which will be held on the eve of the five-day Tour of Oman on February 10.

A familiar face but in a new kit, Hirt joins forces with one of his main rivals of Tour of Oman 2022, Fausto Masnada, winner of the thrilling Stage 4 in Muscat and runner-up in the final overall standings. The team is expected to shine in the desert, with assets such as Mauri Vansevenant to shake the race and Tim Merlier to show his speed.

Some of the strongest opposition is expected to come from Hirt’s former team, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. In 2022, Rein Taaramäe was an essential asset to propel Hirt towards victory. This time, the Estonian veteran partners with South Africa’s pocket climber Louis Meintjes, who made history last year with a stage win in La Vuelta and a place in the top 10 of Tour de France, just ahead of Alexey Lutsenko, whose mix of punch and power has already granted him many successes in the sultanate.

A two-time winner of the overall standings of Tour of Oman (2018 and 2019), Lutsenko of Astana Qazaqstan Team has notably won stages up Jabal Akhdar and in Al Bustan, where the finish of the Muscat Classic is set. Will he launch another furious attack? Or will Astana Qazaqstan Team play one of its other strong cards to claim more success in Oman? The Asian team is used to shining in the sultanate and it is coming with the British icon Mark Cavendish (two stage wins in Tour of Oman) as well as the Under-23 world champion Yevgeniy Fedorov.

Among the strongest teams in the world, UAE Team Emirates has lined up an elite sprinter, Pascal Ackermann, alongside punchy options such as Diego Ulissi and Davide Formolo. Classic experts like AG2R Citroën’s Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen will also be willing to put up a fight on any occasion, while climbers such as Ivan Sosa (Movistar) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) eye the final battle up Jabal Akhdar, where Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) hopes to shine again (third in 2018 and sixth in 2019).

As for the Oman national champion, Faisal al Mammari, he turned 23 last month and is more than willing to show the world the local grit.