Mountain sprint sees Herrada move into Oman overall lead

Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) took the overall lead in the Tour of Oman as he won the uphill sprint atop the ascent of Qurayyat.

Jesus Herrada wins Stage 2 of the 2023 Tour of Oman - 12/02/2023 - Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex / Qurayyat (174 km) Credit: Thomas Maheux/A.S.O./Oman Cycling Association/Thomas Maheux

A ferocious attack in the final metres up the ascent of Qurayyat got Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) the prizes he was aiming for - the win in Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman 2023 and the overall lead.

The Spanish puncheur made the most of his skills and his knowledge of this specific terrain to pounce at the perfect moment and get the best of Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) and Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) in the uphill sprint to the line. Already a podium finisher in the Tour of Oman (3rd in 2019, a year that saw him finish 2nd in Qurayyat), Herrada says he wants to keep the red jersey all the way to Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), the final summit of this 12th edition, on Wednesday.

"I knew this finish from 2019 when I was second and I knew that if we got to the last climb all together as a bunch, if I was in good shape, few riders could beat me," said Herrada.

"We went up very quickly and I didn't want to take any risks, because everybody wanted to be ahead. It was a nervous finish, but in these wide roads you can sit on wheels a bit and then give it everything you've got right at the end."

Herrada's best performance at the Tour of Oman was in 2019, when he finished second on the equivalent stage and then ended the race on the overall podium with third behind Alexey Lutsenko and Domenico Pozzovivo.

"Day by day," said Herrada on his overall ambitions. "One objective here was to get a stage win and now I've got that. So now I'll have to try and keep the jersey all the way to the finish."