Waerenskjold wins fastest Tour de France road stage ever as peloton clocks 50.91 km/h on Stage 11

Stage 11 victory and sprint finish

Soren Waerenskjold of Norway claimed his first victory of the season and delivered Uno-X Mobility a Tour de France stage win on Wednesday. The 26-year-old prevailed in a mass sprint at the end of the 161.3-kilometre 11th stage from Vichy to Nevers. Dutch rider Olav Kooij took second place. Belgian Jasper Philipsen crossed the line third but was subsequently relegated for moving in the sprint, promoting his compatriot Milan Fretin to a podium finish.

It means everything, it's my biggest win so far.

Waerenskjold had finished second to Tim Merlier on stage seven into Bordeaux. This time he spotted a gap along the barriers on the right as Cees Bol launched early and, while others hesitated, powered clear. He put several bike lengths between himself and the chasing pack. Although Kooij and Philipsen caught him by the line, they lacked the strength to edge past. Merlier, winner of two sprint stages earlier in the race, finished 14th.

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 (metres) to go. I was just waiting for the same thing to happen when Merlier passed me, but it didn't happen this time.

A record-breaking pace

The peloton completed the 161 km stage at an average speed of 50.91 km/h, surpassing the previous record for the fastest road stage in Tour de France history. That mark was set in 1999 when Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini won a 194.5 km stage into Blois at an average of 50.4 km/h. Wednesday's speed is now the fastest road stage across all 113 editions of the Tour.

The high speeds came on an almost pan-flat route through central France, aided by favourable winds. Sprint teams kept a tight leash on the early four-man breakaway that included former world champion Julian Alaphilippe, ensuring the pace remained high almost all day. The stage duration was recorded at 3 hours, 10 minutes and 6 seconds.

Pogacar's water-bottle scare

Race leader Tadej Pogacar finished safely in the pack in 48th place, retaining his overall lead of 3 minutes and 36 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard. But the Slovenian described a moment of real alarm during the stage when his front wheel rolled over a bidon lying on the road at roughly 55 km/h.

I nearly lost the handlebars. We were doing 55 km/h. If I fall, it could be the Tour de France over.

Pogacar, who is pursuing a record-equalling fifth Tour title, told France 2 that the priority on such a fast flat stage was staying safe. Remco Evenepoel sits third overall, a further 30 seconds behind Vingegaard.

Sprinters' green jersey battle

Eritrean Biniam Girmay finished fifth on the stage and cut Mads Pedersen's lead in the green jersey points competition to 43 points. Pedersen could manage only 10th place. The sprint finish itself was disjointed, with none of the teams able to organise a conventional sprint train to set up their fast man. Cees Bol launched off the front as the main sprinters hesitated, and Waerenskjold was the first to chase after him.

Uno-X Mobility's second Tour stage win

This was only the second Tour de France stage victory for the Norwegian Uno-X Mobility team, which is competing in its first year as a World Tour outfit. Jonas Abrahamsen delivered the team's first win during last year's race, also on Stage 11. The squad also held the yellow jersey for two stages this year with Torstein Traeen before he crashed out with a concussion and broken ribs. Julian Alaphilippe, who was part of the early breakaway, finished last on the stage, a marker of how far the six-time stage winner's fortunes have declined.

When I came here, I knew that there are two or three guys that are faster than me, but if I'm lucky and I have a good sprint like today, then it's possible.