Bikes costing 20,000 euros each which arrive at the starting line in livestock trailers and protected by foam mattresses.
Or camels stationed along immense straight lines and surprised to see a peloton of a hundred cyclists pass by.
Welcome to the thirteenth edition of the Tour of Oman.
Here some former Tour de France stage winners stroll in perfect tranquility like the Australian Caleb Ewan, the Englishman Adam Yates, the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen, the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff and the Frenchman Warren Barguil.
In the small but wealthy Persian Gulf sultanate, cycling does not really attract large crowds.
There are a few dozen of them in the evening applauding the presentation of distinctive jerseys to the best of the day.
But despite the lack of numbers, the quality of the spectators is there.
Because it is the country's elite who have developed a passion for cycling since 2010. At the time, Oman's goal was to imitate Qatar, a pioneer in the region in using sport as a tool. promotion.
He launched the Tour of Qatar between 2002 and 2016 before devoting himself to the Football World Cup.
But for several years, Oman has not been content with the broadcasting of stages showing some local tourist wonders such as the “Oman across ages” museum, the Bidbid oasis, the Al-Rustaq castle or the slopes of Eastern Mountain.
The Omanis want more and dream, one day in the future, of seeing their national team compete in the Tour de France.
This is the wish openly expressed by Saif Al Rushaidi, the president of the Omani cycling federation.
“Accelerate the training of local runners”
So Oman is benefiting from the know-how of ASO, the organizing company of the Grande Boucle which has transposed almost its entire system.
Same red management cars, same paneling, same men at the wheel or in control of the event.
“We show the beauties of the region,” smiles Pierre-Yves Thouault, the director of the Tour of Oman.
We see hilly roads and mountains of almost 2000 meters.
But now the idea is to accelerate the training of local runners.”
In 2022, young Omanis also took part in a few amateur races in Brittany and eastern France.
“And we also try, via the Monegasque federation,” continues Thouault, “to help train educators so that they can then come and unearth the best talents in the country.
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On a sporting level, the fear of a somewhat artificial event far from the reality of the rest of the world calendar no longer exists.
“A few years ago,” admits the boss of the Tour of Oman, “we felt a slight decline in the quality of the field of riders offered.
But for some time now, we have clearly seen that the efforts have paid off.
The quality of the routes and the difficulties offered please the sports managers of the WorldTour teams.
It's not at all a race for discounts.
It has its place in February with its average temperature of 25 degrees.
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And at ASO, we can imagine Qatar restarting its local event.
This would allow teams to be brought together during the same period, all happy to receive a nice signing bonus while starting their season far from the cold and humid winter of Europe.