Søren Wærenskjold Wins 161.3km Tour Stage at 50.9kph, Setting Fastest-Ever Road Record
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
Søren Wærenskjold Wins 161.3km Tour Stage at 50.9kph, Setting Fastest-Ever Road Record
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
Summary
50.9kph carried Søren Wærenskjold to victory in Stage 11 from Vichy to Nevers, where the Uno-X Mobility rider won a frenzied bunch sprint for his first Tour de France stage.
161.3km was raced at a furious pace because sprinters had few chances left, and a four-man breakaway featuring Julian Alaphilippe was caught only 5km from the finish.
38km from Nevers, Alaphilippe was dropped on the Côte-de-Chevannes, extending French disappointment a day after France's shock World Cup loss to Spain.
Tadej Pogacar still controlled the race mood after his latest dominant display, while Tom Pidcock finished with the peloton despite a Bastille Day crash he blamed on slippery heat-treated roads.
Stage 11 followed Pogacar's record Tourmalet climb and reinforced complaints that UAE Emirates XRG's grip is stifling breakaways even as rivals concede he is the strongest rider.