Tour of Oman 2014 Route stage 5: BidBid – Green Mountain
Saturday, February 22 – The Queen Stage in the 2014 Tour of Oman is a 147.5 km stage with a summit finish. The route goes from BidBid to Jabal Al Akhdhar, also known as Green Mountain.
(Slideshow route/profile)
Tour of Oman 2014 Route stage 5: BidBid – Green Mountain
Stage 5 leaves from BidBid, a small town of about 20,000 inhabitants, 70 kms south of the capital Muscat. Riders will spend the early part of the day heading further south to the Al Hajar Mountains, a mountain range with peaks as high as 3,000 altimeters.
The highest point the bunch will tackle is the summit finish of Jabal Al Akhdhar (The Green Mountain) at 1,235 altimeters. Since the climb’s introduction in the Tour of Oman in 2011, it has been the deciding factor for the overall GC. Jabal Al Akhdhar is a 5.7 km ascent and the average gradient is 10.6%. There's no hiding place for riders with tired legs with the last 2 kms being the most difficult at an average gradient of 13.5%
In last year's race, Alberto Contador attacked far too early in the climb and was caught. Joaquim Rodríguez did a better job, attacking just before the last kilometer and went on to win the stage. Chris Froome came in second and captured the overall leadership, which he held until the end.
The stage starts 11:45 (GST) and is scheduled to finish at 15:30.
