The Tour of Oman has officially returned to the UCI race calendar, and teams have already scheduled the six-day race for February 10-15.

Reports and rumors of the race's return to the Middle East have been circulating for some time, but organizer ASO has revealed the race route and invited teams.

The Jabal Al Akhdhar Green Mountain finish is once again expected to be decisive, with seven of the 18 World Tour teams visiting the Persian Gulf in search of warm weather racing.

The World Tour teams are Quick Step-Alphavinyl, Intermarque-Wanty-Gobert Matériault, Team Bike Exchange-Jayco, Groupama-FDJ, Team DSM, UAE Team Emirates, and Cofidis. Pro teams include Gazprom Rusvelo, Arkea Samsic, Uno X Pro, and Bingor Pauwels Source WB, with Oman's national team also competing.

Many of the teams will be heading to Oman next week from their tour of Saudi Arabia (February 1-5). Cycling News notes that only athletes and team staff who have received the COVID-19 vaccination will be allowed to participate in these two races.

The Tour of Oman has earned pro series status, so riders and teams from the Tour of Antalya in Turkey will participate. Some riders also participate in the Tour de la Provence in the south of France.

The Tour of Oman was created in 2010 as an additional race to the Tour of Qatar. The first edition was won by Fabian Cancellara, with Tour de France winners Christopher Froome and Vincenzo Nibali taking the mountains prize. Astana's Alexey Lutsenko has won the last two editions in 2018 and 2019.

This year's race route is also based in the capital Muscat, where the riders will stay for the duration of the race.

The 891-km race includes three sprinter opportunities, with the third stage to Qurayat ending with a finish at the top of a 2.8-km climb at 6.5%. The Jabal Al Akhdar Green Mountain finish is on stage 5, a grueling 5.7km, 10.5% climb that will show who is on form and who is a true overall contender. The final stage will end with the Matra Corniche, and the usual high-speed sprints are expected.

Daniel Ostanek (open in new tab) will be at the Tour of Oman, and Cycling News will have full race coverage, interviews, and news.