Team DSM's aggressive racing was evident on a day that saw Quick-Step Alphavini finish one-two and put Fausto Masnada in the leader's jersey.

Team DSM of the Netherlands sent two riders 1:07 behind Masnada in the chase group on stage 4, pushing Kevin Vermaakke and Henri Vandenaveer to 7th and 8th place overall.

DSM stood out at the front of the peloton early in an explosive 119.5km day that included five major climbs south of Muscat; DSM chased down an early breakaway in the first 40km, making it difficult for its GC rivals.

The two were in the lead group of red jersey favorites in the finale, which featured three identical 4km climbs in the 35km stretch between the finish line and the 15km mark. Although Masnada slipped from the stage win and race leadership after several attempts, the two 21-year-olds were pleased with their performance on the day, especially before the tough summit finish on Green Mountain on Monday.

"I think we can be happy with how aggressive we were today and it made the race more exciting," second-year pro Vermaquet said after the stage.

"We were expecting a full race all day, but it actually started off a little easier than we expected.

"Right out of the gate, on the super steep climb, I thought I was going to explode. But it was a pretty easy pace, so I took control on the first climb and we split the race with the whole team."

Vandenaveer, who turned pro in the DSM this year, added that he felt better as the stage progressed, but he and Vermaerke still could not put together a chase group behind Masnada.

"I didn't feel good on the first climb, so I waited a bit, and it got better and better on the last climb. Then I decided I wanted to go for the stage win, so I went with Masnada and a couple of other guys."

"Masnada got away on the descent. Mauro Schmidt did a good job for the team. Mauro Schmidt did a good job for the team, but for us we didn't work well together and the last 10 kilometers were really marginal."

The two now look ahead to Green Mountain, which is 6 kilometers long, has an average gradient of 10 percent, and is 150.5 kilometers long. Vandenaveer is the man for DSM, Vermaerke said.

"Going into the last climb, I knew I wouldn't be able to climb with the top guys, so I just went up the road and tried to make up some time. But I knew if I had 30 seconds I could go over and Henri crossed with the leading group, which was the perfect situation."

"I think Henri can go for GC, especially tomorrow at Green Mountain, because he is in very good shape."

Vandenaveer said he is confident that Masnada, who now has a 55-second lead on GC, will win the overall with two stages to go. However, the Belgian enjoys the steepness of a mountaintop finish, so a podium finish (by 25 seconds) is still a possibility.

"It's only one climb. I think Masnada will win Oman for sure." But the podium is still a possibility, it's a bit disappointing that I lost 14 seconds on day two because I made a mistake on the roundabout, but tomorrow it's going to be a lot steeper, so I think everyone will be able to go at their own pace."

"I'm usually good [at steep climbs], but I've only done it at the under-23 level, so we'll see what happens."