The Tour of Oman is the third of a trio of stage races in the Middle East that come early in the road cycling season, following the Dubai Tour and the Tour of Qatar, in 2015 won by Mark Cavendish and Niki Terpstra respectively. The distinctive feature of the Tour of Oman is the annual inclusion of the climb of Jebel Akhdar, the Green Mountain, which means the general classification is generally won by climbers. Many Grand Tour contenders start their seasons racing in Oman for this reason.