Soren Waerenskjold sprints to victory in fastest Tour de France stage ever; Pogacar leads by over three minutes
The 161 km stage from Vichy to Nevers was covered at a record 50.9 km/h, breaking a 27-year-old mark as the Uno-X rider claimed his maiden Tour win.
Record-breaking sprint
The 11th stage of the Tour de France from Vichy to Nevers entered the history books as the fastest road stage in the race's 113 editions. The peloton covered the 161-kilometre flat route at an average speed of 50.9 km/h, beating the previous mark of 50.3 km/h set by Mario Cipollini on a 194.5 km stage to Blois in 1999. Soren Waerenskjold of Uno-X Mobility took the victory in a chaotic mass sprint, his first Tour stage win and the team's second ever after Jonas Abrahamsen's success last year.
How the stage was won
A four-man breakaway featuring former world champion Julian Alaphilippe went clear early but was never allowed more than 1 min 40 sec advantage. Alaphilippe was dropped on the Côte-de-Chevannes around 38 kilometres from the finish. The remaining trio of Anthon Charmig, Mathis Le Berre and Nelson Oliveira were caught with five kilometres to go. In a disjointed finale, Cees Bol, the lead-out man for Olav Kooij, launched an early attack. Waerenskjold was the first to react, jumping onto Bol's wheel and then exploding past him to open a decisive gap. Kooij and Jasper Philipsen closed in but could not overtake the Norwegian.
It means everything, it's my biggest win so far. I just have to let it sink in and then I will probably be more happy than I look now, but it's a big surprise for myself.
Philipsen crossed the line third but was later relegated for moving in the sprint, promoting Milan Fretin to the podium according to the Irish Examiner; other outlets listed Philipsen as third. The stage unfolded at breakneck pace after the fireworks of Bastille Day, with few remaining chances for sprinters.
- A four-man breakaway including Julian Alaphilippe escapes early.
- Alaphilippe is dropped on the Côte-de-Chevannes.
- The peloton catches the three remaining breakaway riders.
- Cees Bol attacks early; Waerenskjold follows and then launches his sprint.
- Waerenskjold holds off Olav Kooij to win the stage.
General classification unchanged
Race leader Tadej Pogacar finished safely in the pack, retaining the yellow jersey with a 3 min 36 sec lead over Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard. Remco Evenepoel sits third at 4 min 6 sec. Pogacar, aiming for a record-equalling fifth Tour title, has dominated the race since the Pyrenees, and his rivals conceded his superiority earlier in the week. The standings remained static after the flat transition stage.
Pogacar is currently the strongest. Bravo to him.
Pidcock and Alaphilippe in the spotlight
Tom Pidcock's eventful Tour continued. The double Olympic gold medallist crashed on the descent of the Puy Mary on Bastille Day but finished with the peloton in Nevers. He attributed the accident to a slippery substance on the road.
I don't know what they do with the roads here, but when they clean it, they put all this white shit all over it and it makes it really slippery.
Julian Alaphilippe, a national hero after his 2019 yellow jersey stint, was dropped from the breakaway and may have ridden his final Tour stage.
- 1999 Cipollini (Blois)
- 50.3 km/h
- 2026 Waerenskjold (Nevers)
- 50.9 km/h
What comes next
Stage 12 on Thursday will be another flat day, covering 179 kilometres from the Nevers Magny Cours circuit to Chalon-sur-Saône. The sprinters will have another chance before the race heads into more demanding terrain.
