Chris Froome closes in on Tour of Oman victory

Team Sky's Chris Froome has all but guaranteed victory in the Tour of Oman by winning the penultimate stage in Muscat.

The 27-year-old prevailed over Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) in a thrilling sprint finish to stretch his lead over the Spaniard to 27 seconds.

Cadel Evans (BMC) has dropped down to third and is 39 seconds off the pace, while stage four winner Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) is 50 seconds back in fourth.

The final stage, a 144km flat race, takes place later today.

Barring a disaster, it will be the first stage-race victory of Froome's career.