Blikra strikes with superb sprint to take Tour of Oman stage 4 win
Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour of Oman was a 146.8-kilometre stage from Al Sawadi Beach - Sohar. Several sprinters were affected by crashes earlier in the five-day stage race with stage 4 the last opportunity for the sprinters to strike the jackpot.
Across the 146.8 kilometres, there were only just over 100 metres of elevation gain meaning it was set to be a 'relaxing' ride until the finale for the peloton. That is, of course, unless the wind conditions decided to play a factor, but ultimately there wasn't any echelon action.
Heading into the finale, two riders, who had attacked earlier on in the day, retained a slim margin ahead of the peloton heading into the final 10 kilometres, those being Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) and Patryk Goszczurny (Visma | Lease a Bike). The duo was caught with 2.8 kilometres to go, setting up the expected bunch sprint situation.
After the duo was caught, it was Alpecin-Premier Tech who decided to take a firm grasp of the lead into the finish, positioning themselves well at the front of the pack.
Inside the flamme rouge, it was Uno-X Mobility who struck the jackpot of victory at the Tour of Oman through Erlend Blikra, who timed his sprint effort to absolute perfection. The 29-year-old Norwegian finished ahead of Emmanuel Houcou (Pinarello-Q36.5) in second andSebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in third.
The fifth and final stage of the Tour of Oman sees the riders take on the mighty Green Mountain, with the GC leader, Mauro Schmid (Jayco Alula), likely to face stern opposition on the climb from riders such as Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who will have to make up time on the Swiss rider.
Stage result: 2026 Tour of Oman - Stage 4
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