For previous generations, the climb through the pine trees of Mont Faron or the snow-banked lower slopes of Mont Ventoux often served a roughly similar purpose, but the centre of gravity of the cycling calendar has since shifted. In the past decade, a lonely outpost in Oman´s Al Hajar mountains has established itself as an early test site for riders with designs on performing in Grand Tours later in the campaign. Since its introduction in 2011, Jabal Al Akhdar, known to the world as Green Mountain, has become the prime incentive for an exalted caste of the riders that come to the Tour of Oman each year. On Saturday´s penultimate stage of the 2017 edition of the race, Fabio Aru (Astana) and Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) were the loftiest names to tackle the 5.7-kilometre climb for their first such public examination of the new year. The ascent owes its name to the microclimate that exists above 2,400 metres, but at half that altitude, the title of Green Mountain seems a jarring misnomer. Save for some sparse shrub grass poking out amid the sun-blasted rock face, there is little by way of greenery and nothing by way of shelter. There is little respite, too, from the wickedly steep gradient, which averages above 10 per cent.ADVERTISEMENT A brief descent with three kilometres remaining is only a deception. From there, the road kicks up relentlessly towards the finish line. The savage beauty of Green Mountain is that there is nowhere to hide. For Fabio Aru, whose season is built around the Giro d´Italia in May, the auguries from the mountain were promising. Although he missed out on stage victory, beaten by three seconds by a buoyant Ben Hermans (BMC), it was an encouraging outing from the Sardinian in his first race of the year. Traditionally, Aru´s performances have been low-key and his results discreet ahead of the Giro, but his display here suggested that he will be a factor at next week´s Abu Dhabi Tour. Riders don´t so much pedal over the line as collap ...
|
