Søren Wærenskjold won the 11th stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Wednesday, a 161,3-kilometer race between Vichy and Nevers. The Uno-X Mobility rider triumphed in a mass sprint ahead of Dutchman Olav Kooij and Belgian Jasper Philipsen. This is his first stage victory in the Tour de France and his team's first win since the start in Barcelona. The Norwegian completed the course in 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 6 seconds, averaging 50,9 km/h. This 11th stage is now the fastest ever in the history of the Tour de France. The peloton set a blistering pace from the very first kilometers and barely slowed down despite the 1,400 meters of elevation gain between the Allier and Nièvre departments.
Alaphilippe in the breakaway, the sprinters maintain control
Julian Alaphilippe, Mathis Le Berre, Nelson Oliveira, and Anthon Charmig formed the day's main breakaway. The quartet built a lead of around one minute and 30 seconds, but couldn't extend it further against the sprinters' teams. Charmig took advantage of his position at the front to collect the points awarded on the two categorized climbs of the course. Alaphilippe was the first to crack, with nearly 40 kilometers to go. Le Berre, Oliveira, and Charmig continued their effort as a trio, but their advantage gradually diminished under pressure from the Decathlon CMA CGM, Alpecin-Premier Tech, Soudal Quick-Step, NSN, and XDS Astana teams. The last breakaway riders were caught less than 10 kilometers from Nevers.
The final stretch, featuring several changes of direction before a straightaway without any turns, resulted in a close battle for position. Wærenskjold managed to maintain an ideal position before launching his decisive attack. Kooij, already a winner at Pau, took second place, while Philipsen completed the podium.
Fretin fourth, Turgis and Russo in the top 10
Milan Fretin finished fourth ahead of Huub Artz and Biniam Girmay. Anthony Turgis took seventh place and Clément Russo eighth. Fernando Gaviria, who suffered a mechanical problem in the last 10 kilometers, managed to recover and finish ninth. Pascal Ackermann completed the top 10. All these riders were credited with the same time as the winner.
Tim Merlier, aiming for a third victory after his wins in Bordeaux and Bergerac, failed to contend for the top spots. Wærenskjold had already finished second behind the Belgian in the seventh stage. This time, the powerful Norwegian left no one behind in the final meters.
Pogacar maintains a 3-minute, 36-second lead over Vingegaard
The stage brought no changes to the overall standings. Tadej Pogacar finished in the peloton and retains the yellow jersey with a cumulative time of 39 hours, 25 minutes, and 08 seconds. The Slovenian maintains a 3-minute, 36-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard and a 4-minute, 6-second lead over Remco Evenepoel. Juan Ayuso remains fourth, 4 minutes and 22 seconds behind. Paul Seixas, the first Frenchman, still occupies fifth place, 4 minutes and 35 seconds back, with a nine-second advantage over Florian Lipowitz. Isaac Del Toro is seventh, 5 minutes and 06 seconds behind, ahead of Mattias Skjelmose, 5 minutes and 45 seconds back. Lenny Martinez holds onto ninth place, 08 minutes and 34 seconds behind the yellow jersey. Tom Pidcock completes the top 10, now 11 minutes and 49 seconds adrift. The main contenders completed the day at high speed without losing any time before the decisive upcoming stages.
A new chance for the sprinters on Thursday
The Tour de France will restart on Thursday from the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, heading towards Chalon-sur-Saône. This 12th stage, 179,1 kilometers long, will once again be classified as a flat stage, with 1,800 meters of elevation gain. The sprinters who were beaten in Nevers will immediately have another opportunity, while Pogacar will primarily be looking to avoid crashes and splits in the peloton before the return of more challenging terrain.
