Tour de France 2026 - 11. Etappe: Tadej Pogačar staunt über Rekordtempo von 50,9 km/h

Tadej Pogacar remained the overall leader of the Tour de France after the 11th stage, which set a new record for average speed during a regular stage. The race took place over 161.3 kilometers between Vichy and Nevers in central France, with cyclists averaging 50.91 kilometers per hour, according to the cycling statistics portal Procyclingstats. This surpassed the previous record of 50.36 km/h set during the fourth stage of the 1999 Tour, won by Mario Cipollini ahead of Erik Zabel. Pogacar noted this remarkable pace during a bathroom break, remarking how it felt like madness to rejoin the peloton afterward. He anticipated a fast finish, saying, “Today we will actually arrive quickly.” The high speed was attributed to a strong breakaway group that had chances to disrupt the sprint. Pogacar explained that because the breakaway had good opportunities to split the field, the pace had to remain high. The stage concluded with a mass sprint, where Norwegian rider Søren Wærenskjold claimed his first-ever Tour stage victory. He finished ahead of Dutch cyclist Olav Kooij, who took second place. Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen initially came in third but was later demoted due to a decision by the race jury. However, the ruling was reversed following an appeal from his team, restoring Philipsen to third place. Philipsen expressed disappointment over the initial demotion, stating he did not know exactly what happened during the sprint. He mentioned feeling contact with another rider but denied any intentional wrongdoing. His performance has been lackluster so far in the Tour, with his best result being fourth place. Despite this, he indicated his legs were improving, suggesting better form could come in future stages. Pascal Ackermann was the top-placed German cyclist, finishing tenth. Another German, Max Kanter, secured 17th place. Meanwhile, Georg Zimmermann suffered a crash approximately 30 kilometers from the finish line. Footage showed him lying on the ground, receiving medical attention from race doctors before eventually continuing to the finish line. This incident occurred near a section where support staff handed out food bags to riders. Although other professionals were involved, the exact cause of the crash was unclear at first. Despite these incidents, there were no changes in the general classification. Pogacar continued to wear the yellow jersey, maintaining a lead of 3 minutes and 36 seconds over his Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard. Remco Evenepoel, riding for the same team as sixth-place finisher Florian Lipowitz, trailed Pogacar by nearly four minutes. The stage featured a flat route where cyclists maintained an impressive average speed of around 53 km/h. A taste of the intensity came earlier in the day during a mid-stage sprint, where Philipsen narrowly missed victory, finishing ahead of Kanter and Mads Pedersen, the current points classification leader. Philipsen's struggles have raised questions about his form, with doubts creeping in regarding whether he can still compete at the highest level. The upcoming 12th stage promises to be another crucial test for sprinters, starting from the circuit in Magny-Cours near Nevers, a location with historical significance in Formula One racing. From there, the route heads eastward toward Chalon-sur-Saône, covering 179.1 kilometers. This stage is expected to provide further challenges and opportunities for cyclists aiming to make their mark in the competition.