This was aided by the controversial events of stage 5, which was eventually abandoned due to extreme weather conditions.

Louis Meintjes (MTN–Qhubeka) was the best young rider, while Jef Van Meirhaeghe (Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise) won the combativity prize after participating in the breakaway on every stage of the race.

[5] In 2013 and 2014, the race was won by Chris Froome (Team Sky) as the beginning of his preparation for the Tour de France.

[3][5][6][7] Although the general classification was expected to be contested by climbers, many riders rode the Tour of Oman with other aims.

[3] Notable sprinters at the 2015 race included Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), who won three stages in the 2014 Tour of Qatar, Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff–Saxo).

The chasing peloton was led for most of the day by Team Katusha, in support of their leader Alexander Kristoff, for whom the uphill finish was ideal.

[11] This caused the team to mistime the sprint: Boonen's lead-out man Matteo Trentin was only able to support him until there were 200 metres (660 feet) remaining.

[10] Andrea Guardini (Astana) was supported by his teammate Borut Božič and was then able to follow Boonen and come past him in the final 50 metres (160 feet) to take his first victory of 2015.

Van Zyl, Konrad and Andreetta all finished on the same time as Guardini and so moved into the top ten thanks to bonus seconds won at intermediate sprints.

It was classified as a flat stage, but there were two notable climbs within the last 25 kilometres (16 miles), presenting the opportunity for riders to attack close to the finish.

[17] Guardini was among the riders who were dropped from the peloton, with Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) also in difficulty.

The route was mostly flat with no significant climbs and the roads at the finish were wide and straight, so the stage was likely to end in a bunch sprint.

[21][22] In the finishing straight, there was a significant headwind, and, when Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing) opened his sprint too early, Kristoff was able to follow him and come round to take his fourth victory of the season, just ahead of Andrea Guardini (Astana).

[24] An early breakaway was formed of Jef Van Meirhaeghe (Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise) (the leader of the combativity award and in the breakaway for the fourth consecutive stage), his teammate Gijs Van Hoecke, Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx–Quick-Step) and points classification leader Andrea Guardini (Astana).

Guardini and Van Meirhaeghe contested the intermediate sprint after 18.5 kilometres (11 miles), taking points for their respective classifications, then sat up and were caught by the peloton.

[25][26] BMC Racing Team led the peloton hard into the early slopes of Jebel Akhdar.

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) put in two attacks, causing the group to be reduced further, in support of Jakob Fuglsang.

Valls was then able to put in his own attack and pass van Garderen in the final part of the stage, going on to win by five seconds.

There was a dust storm at the starting point on Al Sawadi Beach, so the decision was taken to transport the riders to the finishing circuit, shortening the stage to 95 kilometres (59 miles).

Stage 6 was a 133.5-kilometre (83.0-mile) route starting at the headquarters of Oman Air on the edge of Muscat International Airport.

The weather conditions were much more suitable for racing, with grey skies and the temperature approximately 20 °C (68 °F) lower than the previous day.

The pair were joined, however, by Danny Pate (Team Sky) and Matthias Brändle (IAM Cycling), and Van Meirhaeghe was able to stay with the group.

Jelle Wallays, Van Meirhaeghe's teammate, attempted to bridge across to the leading riders, but he was not able to make it across in the crosswinds and was caught by the main peloton.

In the leading group, Pate made the first attack on the unclassified climb on the finishing circuit, but Brändle covered the move and passed him.

Brändle was then able to hold off the chase of Keisse – the faster sprinter – and finished the stage with a four-second advantage.

The rider with the most accumulated points was the leader of the classification and wore a white jersey with red and green sections.

This was especially the case on the neutralised descents, as the slow speeds and consequent frequent braking led to higher tyre temperatures and more punctures.

[46] The Omani organisers, led by Salim bin Mubarak Al Hassani, put pressure on the riders to continue racing, but they refused to do so.

In particular, he made comparisons with the dangers that are accepted by the riders, such as those faced when riding Paris–Roubaix or descending on wet days in the Tour de France.

It was suggested, however, that the local organisers may refuse to invite certain teams back to future editions of the race.