Erlend Blikra had been chasing victory for months, always close to success, fourth, third, second, but never quite enough to grasp it. At the Tour de Langkawi, it had become like a curse that seemed almost impossible to break, but today in Oman he finally managed to not only make a perfect sprint but a winning one. It was a true liberation for the twenty-nine-year-old Norwegian who, after last year's excellent sensations, decided to return to Oman to test his preparation.

"It's beautiful, I've been chasing this victory for a long time and it finally arrived. I kept getting so close and it was becoming stressful, I felt like I was doing everything correctly yet it never went well. Today I was quite motivated, we studied the final part of the race thoroughly with the team, we were ready and my teammates worked perfectly," Blikra explained after the finish, sporting a giant smile. This victory has the taste of something special that he now wants to fully savor. Crucial was the team's approach to the last two kilometers, characterized by a series of tight curves that risked taking many athletes out of the game. "The key moments of the stage were the two curves in the last 2.5 km, they were very delicate points and it was necessary to have the best possible position. Last night and even this morning before the start, we studied that last section multiple times, we knew exactly what we had to do, if we had fallen behind there would have been no chance for us - he continues - the guys were extraordinary, they did a perfect job and I can only thank them."

In the first stage on the long straight near Sink Hole, he had come close but had to settle for fourth place. Blikra learned from that race day, especially regarding the wind factor, and today he made the most of it to tackle the sprint in the best way. "Today there was a long final straight of 1.4 km with wind coming from the right, from the ocean side, it wasn't very strong, but it was strong enough to be decisive. It reminded me a lot of the first stage, that day I was feeling good, but I made the mistake of taking the right side of the road, instead of the left, which exposed me more than others. This time I wanted to first position myself on the left and then study the situation. With such a long straight, there was a risk of starting too early, but at the same time, I didn't want to be forced to chase. Fortunately, Alpecin Premier Tech positioned themselves in front to work for Gerben Thijssen, I positioned myself on his wheel and then at the right moment, I started," continues the Norwegian, who tomorrow with the Green Mountain climb will have to limit himself to bringing the bike to the finish and reset everything for upcoming appointments.

The promotion of Team Uno X to World Tour formation opens up a wide range of possibilities for its athletes who can now participate in all major world competitions. Blikra's goal for 2026 is to take part in his first grand tour and try to contest a stage victory in a sprint. "Starting the season with a victory gives me a lot of confidence, in some way I can relax a bit and focus more on the sprint and less on having to win at all costs - Blikra concludes - after the Tour of Oman I'll go directly to the UAE Tour, the level is very high and it won't be easy to win. This year I will participate in my first stage grand tour, according to the provisional calendar it should be the Vuelta and I hope to be at the start in the best possible form to be able to contest a victory."