Waerenskjold stuns top favorites in bizarre sprint finish of Tour de France stage 11
CyclingWednesday, 15 July 2026 at 17:21
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Follow us on GoogleOn July 14—France’s national holiday—Tadej Pogacar got his revenge in Le Lioran. On the course where Jonas Vingegaard had last beaten him, he went all out and claimed his third stage victory in the Tour de France. The sprinters struggled in the Cantal mountains, but everyone made the time limit. The goal had been achieved, as the next stage was theirs.
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After all, the route between Vichy and Nevers covers 161 flat kilometers, with only two small climbs along the way and a total elevation gain of 1,100 meters. It’s almost as flat as a billiard table, so the sprinters see their chance. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) has already won once, but Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) has proven to be the man to beat so far.
At the start, the riders were finally presented with different conditions: it was warm, but also wet. The rain was very welcome after all that heat. A sprint was expected in the wet conditions, but the attackers made their move. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) was the first, but couldn't get away. But other big names also saw an opportunity in a stage that normally wouldn't be for them.
Read more below the video!
Van der Poel couldn’t break away in the opening stages
Van der Poel tried several times, but Soudal Quick-Step sent a rider to mark him every time it looked too dangerous. It was only when Mathis Le Berre (TotalEnergies), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) and Anthon Charmig (Uno-X Mobility) opened up a gap that the sprinters’ teams were happy to let it go. Liam Slock (Lotto-Intermarché) attempted to bridge the gap, but failed to do so.
It then turned into a relatively quiet, yet blisteringly fast, stage. An intermediate sprint, behind the four leaders, was won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who left Max Kanter (XDS Astana), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Biniam Girmay (NSN) behind him. After two hours of racing, the average speed stood at no less than 51 kilometres per hour. The front-runners, who had been given a lead of one and a half minutes, seemed to stand no chance against the charging peloton.
The calm was occasionally disrupted by punctures. Well, occasionally… We saw far more flat tyres than usual. Visma | Lease a Bike, Netcompany INEOS and Lidl-Trek were hit particularly hard. Carlos Verona, from the latter team, even had to pull over four times to change his bike or wheel. In any case, it didn’t stand in the way of the average speed.
Read more below the video!
Bizarre crash in the finale
On the day’s final climb, around forty kilometres from the finish, Alaphilippe was dropped from the leading group. Once the world’s best puncheur, he was outpaced by the other three here. Meanwhile, Soudal Quick-Step, NSN and XDS Astana continued to push hard at the front. A nasty crash in the feed zone briefly disrupted the order: Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla), Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Georg Zimmermann (Lotto-Intermarché) went down hard.
The latter German, in particular, was struggling, but managed to carry on. The front-runners had to defend a lead of forty seconds over the final twenty kilometres: it seemed hopeless. This was confirmed in the final ten kilometres. The trio fought tooth and nail, but were caught with around six kilometres to go, just as the route became winding.
Decathlon CMA CGM kept Kooij well positioned there, but every sprinters’ team was in the right spot. A truce ensued, but in the final three kilometres the battle resumed. NSN were the first to launch their train, but in the chaos, Soren Waerenskjold made his move very early. The other sprinters were caught off guard: Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen completed the podium.
Results Stage 11, 2026 Tour de France
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Tough for the green jersey race—over 100 points to Pedersen now is massive. Alpecin’s lead-outs haven’t been as clean this week and losing these podium points stings. But demoting to 119th? That’s a hammer for a fairly normal squeeze.cadencekingm15-07-2026
- - Philipsen “had a difficult start”… and then what? The sentence just stops. Is he actually over the illness/positioning issues? Need clarity before calling him a dark horse.bikebuffj15-07-2026
- - Kanter’s train has been slick, agree there. XDS have nailed the last km markers all week. If they get him to 150m he podiums again. Gute Beine!cadencekingm15-07-2026
- - How much does a Category 4 climb at3% actually slow the sprinters? Like, would that really drop Merlier or is it more about positioning before the descent?cyclechamp4515-07-2026
- - Proper sprint stage written all over it. If Lidl-Trek light it up on Montagny-de-Buxy, Pedersen can bully the run-in. Merlier vs Kooij the headline, but watch Girmay if there’s any draggy headwind.jeremya15-07-2026
- - Not sure the piece nails the context—Barcelona and Les Angles were brutal heat-wise for half the peloton, not just MJ. Feels a tad harsh framing it as “not going as it should” when he’s still inside the top 30 and doing team duties.lindae15-07-2026
- - Good to hear the crash wasn’t as bad as it looked. That corner caught out Pidcock and Harper too, so it wasn’t just him. If he’s 27th after all that, the legs can’t be that bad. Keep the faith, lads.tourdeforce915-07-2026
- - Is “keeping him on the sidelines” meaning they won’t let him pull on the flats? Bit confused if he’s protected or still doing domestique work. Also, why drive him to the start by car—does that suggest fever?andrewf15-07-2026
- - Tough break for Jorgenson. He was massive in the TTT, but the heat and that Puy Mary descent did him no favours. If he can ride into cooler Alpine stages, he could still be clutch for Jonas in the third week.samanthak15-07-2026
- - Uno-X laughing it off was class, but bad food for staff is not a joke. Riders get team chefs, sure, but the staff are the engine. Feed them properly and give them windows that open ffs. Vamos, Pogacar still sleeping well though—title vibes.raceready715-07-2026
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