Waerenskjold wins his first Tour de France stage in fastest-ever stage
Norwegian rider Søren Wærenskjold claimed his first Tour de France victory on Wednesday, winning stage 11, which was the fastest stage in the race's history. He surprised the sprint favorites with a long-range attack, while overall leader Tadej Pogačar maintained his 3-minute 36-second lead.
First win and record speed
26-year-old Norwegian Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) won stage 11 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, taking his first stage victory and only the second for his team. The stage also set a new record as the fastest in the race's history.
The 161.3 km route from Vichy to Nevers was completed at an average speed of 50.9 km/h, beating the previous record of 50.3 km/h set in 1999. Although a bunch sprint was expected, Wærenskjold caught the main contenders off guard by launching his sprint from 400 meters out.
How the race unfolded
In the final 500 meters, after the peloton had caught the day's breakaway, Cees Bol (Team Jayco–AlUla) made the first move. However, his teammate Olav Kooij did not follow, and as other riders hesitated, Wærenskjold saw a gap beside the barriers and accelerated through. He passed Bol quickly, while Kooij and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) gave chase but left it too late. Wærenskjold won by almost a bike length ahead of Kooij.
Philipsen crossed the line third but was relegated for moving in the sprint, promoting Milan Fretin (Cofidis) to the podium.
Wærenskjold's reaction
Reflecting on his win, Wærenskjold said: "I saw Cees Bol had a gap and I tried to sprint up to him and hold a little bit back to go from his wheel. Then I saw there were 250 to go. I was just waiting for the same thing to happen when Merlier passed me, but it didn't happen this time."
"It means everything, it's my biggest win so far. There are two or three guys here who are faster, but if I'm lucky and have a good sprint like today then it's possible. 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," he added.
Overall standings
The stage did not change the general classification. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) remains in the yellow jersey with a 3-minute 36-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike).
