Imagine being passionate about cycling and spending a vacation in a country you've never visited before, when suddenly you find yourself right in the middle of an actual race. It sounds like an absurd, almost surreal story, but that's exactly what happened to two Canadian spouses who found themselves at the start of the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman yesterday morning.

Darren Dunsmore and Clara Colleges come from Canada, specifically from Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Ten days ago, they left their city for a trip to the Middle East: first they visited Abu Dhabi, and yesterday they landed in Muscat to spend a few days in Oman. They followed the guide downloaded by Darren and early in the morning rented a car and headed to the Oman Across Ages Museum for a visit. However, they found the entrance blocked due to the cycling race. And so suddenly, the museum visit took a back seat to experiencing something unique.

We found them wandering among the riders' tents, with eyes lit up with excitement while trying to understand if any of their favorite athletes were present. Clara, originally from Colombia, rushes to the Movistar box as soon as she hears Fernando Gaviria's name, greets him, asks for a photo, and proudly talks about her origins. Unfortunately, there's no luck for Darren, no Canadian athlete is at the start of the race, but that's no problem - he's a fan of everyone. As soon as they discover we're journalists from a bicycle website, they ask for a selfie and start talking about their passion for cycling. "It's a sport we're extremely passionate about. Unfortunately, cycling isn't so famous in Canada, we have a few races but nothing more, all the excitement is in Europe," they tell us, revealing that they have indeed seen some massive bike races.

In 2023, they left Canada heading to France to see the Tour de France and were totally fascinated, even managing to attend the stage that finished at Puy de Dome, where Michael Woods won - a special emotion they keep in their hearts. They tell us multiple times that they're not cycling experts, but fans captivated by a sport they find beautiful. Like children in a playground, they continue their exploration. The riders are now ready, and they take advantage of this to take photographs and check the origin of each team. The small adventure of Darren and Clara is yet another confirmation that this sport can unite, reach the most unusual places, and leave indelible memories.

"One day we'd like to visit Italy, see the Giro, Milan-Sanremo, Strade Bianche - you have so many beautiful races, cycling is part of your culture," they tell us before saying goodbye. The stage is about to start, but a promise is a promise: one day we'll see each other again in Italy at the start of some race.