Leopold König (NetApp-Endura) had targeted the Tour of Oman as his first big objective for 2014 but the Czech had no luck in yesterday's queen stage. A mechanical on the lower slopes of the Green Mountain saw him finish outside the top 20, derailing all his plans for the general classification. Yesterday's penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman traditionally ended on Green Mountain. After 147.5 kilometers, Tour de France winner Christopher Froome (Sky) was able to prevail as solo rider. He left all his competitors far behind with an attack in the final kilometre. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) and Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma – Quick Step) joined him on the podium for both the days as well as the overall rankings. David de la Cruz finished in 17th place as the best rider for Team NetApp – Endura. Leopold König was halted by a mechanical at the foot of Green Mountain, and crossed the finish line after an exhausting pursuit in 23rd place.
"Our tactic projected that we would keep Leo out of the wind as much as possible and bring him into a good position on the mountain. The team worked very well, and implemented the plan quite well. Unfortunately, Leo then had suffered damage to his front wheel at the start of the ascent, during the first 300 meters. Zak was fortunately on the spot, and was able to swap front wheels with him. Still, this naturally took some time. Leo tried to get back into the front and close up the distance to the favorites. But that took too much effort to be able keep up with the best riders in the final stretch,” said Enrico Poitschke after the stage.
The final stage on Sunday stretches over more than 146.5 kilometers from As Sifah to the city center of Matrah.
“We will once again face a demanding stage tomorrow. There are smaller mountains to be ridden over right at the start and the profile will remain hilly. This could give a breakaway group a chance. We will therefore attempt to stay with the group, but still be ready for a sprint. We will thus be prepared for any outcome to the race,” is Enrico Poitschke’s estimate of the final stage.
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