Members of the Astana team struggle in a sand storm after the penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman was cancelled yesterday due to the extreme weather. The scorching heat and sandstorms made it impossible to race. Irish rider Sam Bennett said he witnessed six riders from the Italian Bardiani-CSF Pro Team team suffer blowouts on a descent within seconds of each other after their tyres overheated when they all pulled their brakes.
It was a day of chaos on the penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman yesterday, Saturday, as the sequence of photos below will attest to.
Scorching temperatures – one rider’s bike computer read 50 degrees centigrade - sandstorms and strong winds forced the cancellation of the stage.
The proposed leg from Al Wazarat to Al Sawadi Beach had already been shortened due to high winds at the start.
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So the race convoy moved to the base of the Bouscher Al Amerat climb which the riders had been slated to do four times over 151 kilometres.
The plan was for the first ascent to be neutralised after which the riders were to race the final three laps. But it quickly became apparent this was impossible.
Here’s a collection of pictures from what was a remarkable day.
Fabian Cancellara acted as an impromptu spokesperson for the peloton, pleading with race director Eddy Merckx to cancel the stage.
“It was for the security of the riders. It is nothing against the organisers but it was impossible to do a descent at 85kph when the temperature is 47 degrees,” the Swiss rider said.
“The UCI has to organise regulations for extreme weather, like here with the heat and Milan-San Remo with the snow.”
No one appears what is going on...though they seem pretty content to be in the shade...
Vincenzo Nibali discusses the mater with Tejay Van Garderen.
The latter was one rider aggrieved that the stage was cancelled, saying; “I’m disappointed because I really thought that today would be a chance to win the race.
"I also thought, this race has been, from a preparation standpoint, not very difficult racing, today was going to be one of the harder days.
"As far as preparation for the year ahead, this stage has been pretty poor.”
Some of the madness that appeared online
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Sandstorm and extreme heat lead to cancellation of ST5 #TourofOman pic.twitter.com/pmri6arBJt — Astana Pro Team (@AstanaTeam) February 21, 2015
Riders say perilous conditions made it imperative to cancel stage 5 at the Tour of Oman. pic.twitter.com/193x9QTRme — VeloNews (@velonews) February 21, 2015
Stage 5 #TourofOman cancelled due to sandstorms+heat - @seanyates60 describes the conditions: http://t.co/Nv3HKJalcV pic.twitter.com/omu34XNoAo — Tinkoff Saxo (@tinkoff_saxo) February 21, 2015
Stage 5 #TourofOman officially cancelled due to weather conditions for the safety of the riders (photo @robhatchtv) pic.twitter.com/JEzDeju969” — Trek Factory Racing (@TrekFactory) February 21, 2015
Sandstorms, extreme heat wreak havoc on Tour of Oman http://t.co/cyWDKCQpu3 pic.twitter.com/xgEvZ74peU — peloton magazine (@pelotonmagazine) February 21, 2015
This photo shows the sandstorms on stage 5 of Tour of Oman; stage has been cancelled. (pic: Sunada) pic.twitter.com/QlRAu35Zgh — peloton magazine (@pelotonmagazine) February 21, 2015
Stage 5 was initially shortened due to a sand storm (photo @robhatchtv) but now entirely cancelled. #TourOfOmanpic.twitter.com/uwnplUgnIX — Trek Factory Racing (@TrekFactory) February 21, 2015
Sandstorms, punctures galore and a rider strike - read about today's #TourofOman stage here: http://t.co/8p2eEmHYK4 pic.twitter.com/azNMvX4rYk — Sky Sports Cycling (@SkyCycling) February 21, 2015
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