Blikra sprints to Stage 4 triumph

MUSCAT: Norwegian rider Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility prevailed over his rivals on the line in the Tour of Oman 2026 ‘sprinters special’ Stage 4 as Mauro Schmid kept his red jersey in Suhar on Tuesday.
Sprinter Blikra secured his credentials in the penultimate stage with a time of three hours nine minutes and two seconds as the bunch sprint finish put 74 riders with the same time among the 111 cyclists who completed the race.
Swiss rider Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla retained his four-second advantage over Christian Scaroni (25th) of XDS Astana Team by placing 31st in Stage 4 as both clocked 03:09:02.
Blikra powered to victory over the 146.8 km coastal stage, which started from Al Sawadi Beach in Barka and concluded at the Suhar Corniche. The golden jersey for the most aggressive rider went once again to Poland’s Patryk Goszczurny of Team Visma / Lease a Bike, while the green jersey for the points classification was claimed by French rider Baptiste Veistroffer of Lotto–Intermarché. The white jersey for best under-23 rider was awarded to Norwegian cyclist Martin Tjøtta of Uno-X Mobility.
Shaikh Saud bin Mohammed al Hinai, Wali of Sohar, was the chief guest for the awards ceremony.
Speaking after his victory, Blikra expressed pride in his performance. “I feel extremely happy and proud to win such an important stage of Tour of Oman. The competition was intense from the very first kilometres and the stage required high concentration and tactical discipline. The support of my teammates was decisive in achieving this result.”

BIG RELIEF
The Norwegian sprinter was relieved after the top-class finish.
“It’s a relief to start the season this way. I’ll be able to keep doing my best with even more confidence. It was a real team effort today, and not just from the riders. I crashed yesterday and had to receive quite a lot of treatment from our physio to be fit today. In the final kilometre, the wind was coming from the right, so I wanted to be on the left-hand side. It was fairly straightforward since it was a straight finish. We were already at the front coming out of the roundabouts in the final kilometres, so it wasn’t too complicated after that. In any case, I was able to launch my sprint without stress, on the left side as I wanted, and it worked.”
“The Tour of Oman is exceptional in terms of organisation, diverse routes, and stunning natural scenery. It provides riders with a true test of both physical and technical readiness. This win gives me extra motivation and we look forward to a strong finish that reflects the teamwork we have shown throughout the race,” Blikra added.
Stage 4 featured a fast and tactical coastal route, starting from Al Sawadi Beach, passing through Al Musannah Roundabout, Al Tharmad, Barcelo Al Musannah Resort, Wudam Al Sahil, Al Suwaiq Fort, and continuing along Sultan Qaboos Road towards Suhar, via Al Khabourah and Saham. The route passed key landmarks in Suhar, including Bahjat Al Anzar Farm and the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, before turning near the Al Batinah North Governor’s Office and concluding at the Sohar Corniche.

AL JABAL AL AKHDHAR STAGE
All the eyes now turn to Wednesday’s fifth and final stage, a 156-kilometre decisive showdown starting from Nizwa Fort and concluding at Al Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain). The stage will combine speed, tactical intelligence, and endurance, passing historic landmarks and open roads before the demanding mountain finish determines the champion of the 15th edition of Tour of Oman.
The complexity of the route, combined with wind conditions, team coordination and pace control, makes it one of the most decisive and technically demanding stages of the Tour.
A bunch sprint finish was the expected scenario at the end of the coastal route that concluded in Suhar. The two attackers of the day, caught with 3 km to go, made way for a hard-fought showdown won by Blikra. The Norwegian sprinter, who had finished fourth in the opening stage, finished ahead of French sprinter Emmanuel Houcou, 22, who came close to a major upset, and Juan Sebastian Molano, the winner at Bimmah Sink Hole three days ago. The sprinters’ battle did not affect the overall classification leaders. Schmid will start Wednesday’s final stage in the red jersey, but to keep it he will have to withstand the assault of the pure climbers on the way to the finish at Green Mountain.

Tour of Oman Stage 4 Results
(Read as rank, rider, country, team, time)
1. Erlend Blikra (NOR) – Uno-X Mobility – 03:09:02
2. Emmanuel Houcou (FRA) – Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro CT– 03:09:02
3. Juan Sebastian Molano (COL) – UAE Team Emirates XRG – 03:09:02
4. Stanislaw Aniolkowski (POL) – Cofidis – 03:09:02
5. Stefano Oldani (ITA) – Caja Rural-Seguros RGA – 03:09:02
6. Rick Pluimers (NED) – Tudor Pro CT – 03:09:02
7. Fernando Gaviria (COL) – Caja Rural-Seguros RGA – 03:09:02
8. Amaury Capiot (BEL) – Team Jayco AlUla – 03:09:02
9. Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP) – Movistar Team – 03:09:02
10. Emilien Jeanniere (FRA) – TotalEnergies – 03:09:02