The Tour of Oman has been cancelled following the death of Sultan Qaboos, sources close to participating teams say.
The race, which was slated to run from February 11-26, was suspended due to the official mourning for the country’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, who died on January 10 at age 79. The country will observe a 40-day mourning for the Sultan that runs until February 21.
According to a report in Agence France-Presse, race organizer ASO has notified the 18 pro teams of the race’s cancellation.
The race was first held in 2010 and in recent years had become the official season kickoff for a number of GC riders, including Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali.
Alexey Lutsenko won the previous two editions after attacking on the uphill finish to Green Mountain.
The 2020 edition was slated to attract Mark Cavendish, Elia Viviani, and Nacer Bouhanni, among other star riders.
