Tour de France 2026: Pogacar hails cycling fans as 'the greatest' while Waerenskjold grabs shock win

Tadej Pogacar, the reigning champion of the Tour de France, praised cycling fans as "the greatest" despite facing boos during the race, while Soren Waerenskjold stunned the peloton with a surprise victory in Stage 11. The 161.3-kilometre route from Vichy to Nevers featured a dramatic finish as Waerenskjold, riding for Uno-X Mobility, claimed the win in a chaotic bunch sprint. His triumph marked a breakthrough moment in his career, coming just months after his debut at World Tour level. The stage unfolded with high intensity as teams jostled for position along narrow roads leading into Nevers. In the final kilometers, Norwegian rider Waerenskjold made a decisive move, overtaking several competitors in a powerful sprint. He edged out Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM and Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech, both of whom had previously won stages earlier in the tour. However, Philipsen’s result was later revised, with officials relegating him from third to 119th place due to alleged irregularities in his sprinting technique. While the decision was not formally confirmed, it is widely believed to relate to his actions during the final stretch of the stage. Waerenskjold expressed disbelief at his success, comparing the experience to his first major victory at the 2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. “I thought I was too far back, and then it opened up on the right side like it usually doesn't do,” he said. “It was a bit the same feeling as my first big win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, when I was too far back and then suddenly at the front. It's unbelievable.” Despite the thrilling finish, Pogacar remained unchallenged in the overall standings, retaining his lead with a 3 minutes and 36 seconds advantage over Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe followed in third place, trailing Vingegaard by 30 seconds. Pogacar’s dominance continued as he finished comfortably within the peloton, showing no signs of fatigue despite the demanding nature of the race. The stage also set a new speed record for a Tour de France road stage, averaging 50.91 kilometres per hour, surpassing the previous mark of 50.36 set by Mario Cipollini in 1999. This achievement underscored the relentless pace of the competition, with riders pushing their limits throughout the day. Pogacar addressed the issue of fan reactions, acknowledging that while he has faced criticism, he believes cycling supporters remain overwhelmingly positive. “I mean, yeah, for sure, I have haters and haters are going to hate,” he said following his victory on Tuesday. “It's always like this, even though in cycling it's not as much. For example, in tennis or football, there is much more booing and going against one team or one player because it's just intense, one against each other.” He drew parallels to Novak Djokovic, citing the Serbian tennis star’s ability to handle public scrutiny. “I always think about tennis, Novak Djokovic, and the great mentality he has,” Pogacar added. “I think he had one of the toughest careers, getting a lot of boos and unnecessary hate because he is the greatest. I always look up when someone is going to him and think about him.” His comments were met with support from Vingegaard, who defended Pogacar against critics. “I heard it as well. I think it shouldn't be acceptable in sport,” Vingegaard said in a video interview with Wielerflits.nl prior to Stage 11. “It can be that they don't support him, but don't bring it to the road.” As the Tour de France continues, the focus will shift to upcoming stages that promise more challenges and opportunities for contenders to close the gap on Pogacar. With the race entering its midpoint, the battle for the yellow jersey shows no sign of easing, setting the stage for more dramatic moments in the days ahead.