Erlend Blikra Dominates Chaotic Sprint to Win Tour of Oman Stage 4
The fourth stage of the Tour of Oman 2026 was won on Tuesday by Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility. In a sprinter's stage of just under 150 kilometers, the 29-year-old Norwegian was the fastest in the chaotic bunch sprint at Al Sawadi Beach. Emmanuel Houcou and Juan Sebastian Molano finished second and third.
After his double victory on Monday in the Eastern Mountain stage, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) started the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman wearing the leader's jersey. It was a fairly uneventful 146.8-kilometer coastal stage from Sohar to Al Sawadi Beach. Along the way, there were two intermediate sprints and 700 meters of climbing, so the sprinters got their chance again.
Immediately after the start signal, Patryk Goszczurny (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) broke away from the peloton. They quickly gained a one and a half minute lead on the peloton. Bart Lemmen was notably absent because he had withdrawn from the Tour of Oman due to a wrist injury sustained in a crash.
The gap of Goszczurny and Vangheluwe grew to over two minutes. For the young Pole from the Visma | Lease a Bike development team, securing his golden jersey for the most active rider was the day's goal. The pace in the peloton was controlled by Uno-X Mobility and Alpecin-Premier Tech, with Jayco AlUla, led by Schmid, also prominent at the front.
Chaotic final kilometer with strong crosswinds
In the last ten kilometers, the sprinters' teams reeled in the leading duo. Goszczurny and Vangheluwe did not give up easily but were caught in the final five kilometers. A bunch sprint was inevitable, led out by the Alpecin-Premier Tech train, where Erlend Blikra proved the fastest in a chaotic sprint. He cut through the strong crosswinds on the final straight to take his first victory of the season.
In the hectic sprint, Emmanuel Houcou (Pinarello-Q36.5) surprisingly took second place, while Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates XRG) secured third with a late acceleration. Mauro Schmid’s leader’s jersey was never in danger; he will start Wednesday’s final stage to Green Mountain still in the lead.
