Can anyone beat Alexey Lutsenko? That`s the big question at the Tour of Oman ahead of the decisive summit finish on Green Mountain on Wednesday and, while some are trying to cling onto some sense of optimism, the general consensus is that something extraordinary will have to happen for the Kazakh rider to be toppled. Lutsenko came into the race as the de facto favourite, given he won the title 12 months ago, and that billing has only strengthened as he helped himself to back-to-back stage wins. Last year he finished second on Green Mountain to effectively seal victory but he looks even stronger this time around. `At the moment, the best rider in the bunch is Lutsenko,` Alberto Volpi, directeur sportif of Domenico Pozzovivo`s Bahrain-Merida team, told Cyclingnews.ADVERTISEMENT It was a sentiment echoed by pretty much every other directeur sportif. `He has given an emphatic demonstration that he is truly the strongest guy here,` said Simone Pedrazzini of Rui Costa`s UAE Team Emirates. Cofidis` Roberto Damiani, who has Jesús Herrada third overall, went further in his praise. `Chapeau to him, he has really ridden well. He reminds me a little of the old Moreno Argentin.`
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