Australian Nathan Haas outsprints Van Avermaet on Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman

Australian Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) took the victory on stage two of the 2018 Tour of Oman on Wednesday

Setting off from the same place, stage two’s 167.5km route covered hillier terrain well suited to the punchers, finishing 165.7km away at Al-Bustan

Haas sprinted to the line from a compact group of just 16 riders left after the day’s series of climbs had whittled down the bunch.

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) came in for second place, with Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) in third.

Haas now moves into the overall lead in the race ahead of Van Avermaet, who is a favorite for the overall race.

Not dissimilar in profile, stage threeon Thrursday  from the German University of Technology to Wadi Dayqah Dam –  will includes an 800 metre climb with a gradient of around 10 per cent, the total distance sitting at 179.5 km through the desert.

The race concludes on Sunday.

VIDEO: 2018 Tour of Oman Stage 2

2018 Tour of Oman GC after Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, in 4-22-15
2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana
4. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
5. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
6. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors
7. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida
8. Jesus Herrada (Esp) Cofidis
9. Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
10. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, all same time

2018 Tour of Oman GC after Stage 2

1. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin, in 8-20-46
2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team, at 4 secs
3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, at 6 secs
4. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data, at 10 secs
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 10 secs
6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 10 secs
7. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 10 secs
8. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 10 secs
9. Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 10 secs
10. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 10 secs