01.06.2025
Stavanger shone brighter than ever as the 2025 Tour of Norway for men came to its conclusion.
Just like last year, the entire fourth stage was held on a local circuit in and around Stavanger, where the riders had to tackle the legendary Grisabakken climb no less than six times. 130 kilometers awaited, and with three intermediate sprints along the way, bonus seconds had the potential to play a key role in the general classification. Heading into the stage, young Brit Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) led the overall standings by 18 seconds over Victor Langellotti (Ineos Grenadiers) and 29 seconds over Swiss rider Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates – XRG).
An early breakaway of four riders formed: Eirik Vang Aas (Team Coop – Repsol), Emil Toudal (Team ColoQuick), Wessel Mouris (Unibet Tietema Rockets), and Toon Aerts (Lotto). These riders would also contest the mountain points throughout the day.
The first time up Grisabakken, it was Denmark’s Emil Toudal who took maximum points, pulling level in the KOM standings with his teammate Joshua Gudnitz. Behind him followed Eirik Vang Aas and Toon Aerts. The trio repeated this order on the next ascent of Grisabakken, with Toudal taking over the lead in the mountains classification.
In the peloton, it was Israel – Premier Tech, Uno-X Mobility and Intermarché – Wanty who took control for their sprinters. Alexander Kristoff has been the king of Stavanger for the past three years, with three consecutive wins on the final stage of the Tour of Norway. No one knows the finish better than the 37-year-old, and both Uno-X Mobility and Kristoff himself were dreaming of a fourth in a row – in what would be the local hero’s final Tour of Norway.
The first intermediate sprint of the day went to Dutch rider Wessel Mouris, who picked up 3 bonus seconds and 10 points in the points competition – although it had no impact on the general or points standings. Just behind, Eirik Vang Aas and Toon Aerts crossed the line, taking 8 and 6 points respectively, along with 2 and 1 bonus seconds.
The remaining KOM points were shared between Toudal and Mouris in the breakaway, and it eventually became clear that it would be the Dane who would secure the mountains jersey.
The breakaway was reeled in on the final ascent of Grisabakken, with no major attacks coming from the peloton – setting the stage for a dramatic bunch sprint in Vågen. Entering the final kilometer, local hero Alexander Kristoff was perfectly positioned to sprint for his fourth straight win in Stavanger.
With Ethan Vernon and Matthew Brennan on his wheel, Kristoff launched his sprint with 250 meters to go. It looked for a long time like he would pull it off, but in the final 25 meters, Brennan just edged past – breaking Kristoff’s winning streak in Stavanger.
With the stage win, the young Brit also secured overall victory ahead of Victor Langellotti and Jan Christen. He also claimed both the points and young rider classifications. Emil Toudal was crowned king of the mountains after dominating Grisabakken from the break.