Erlend Blikra after victory in Tour de Langkawi - “I've been trying every day now, and to finally succeed it feels amazing"

Erlend Blikra shut all the critics with his victory in the sixth stage of Tour de Langkawi. He beat Gleb Syritsa and Rudiger Selig in the final sprint to take the first professional victory of his career.

“I've been trying every day now, and to finally succeed it feels amazing,” Blikra said in the post-race interview. He continues, "Today we forget all about yesterday, today we celebrate, and we are just really happy.”

As an experienced sprint finisher, the Norwegian ended the season on a sweet note. “When the opening came, I just went for it early, and I know that I am fast in these types of finishes, so nobody could pass. It just showed that it was really possible to win here and that I have the level that is needed to win in this race,” Blikra said.

This victory is also crucial for his future as a professional rider. He did not get an extension offer from his team Uno-X Pro Cycling Team, and he has yet to find a new team for the next season. “It’s really been the second part of the season where I felt like myself. But I didn’t get my contract extended with my team, so I really still don’t have a team for next year. I was told not so many weeks ago. So it has been quite a couple of rough weeks for me, emotional, so to win here today was just such a relief. I hope this opens up some opportunities,” concludes Blikra.