Søren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility won the fastest-ever road stage in Tour de France history on Wednesday, sprinting to victory in Nevers at an average speed of 50.9km/h. The Norwegian rider claimed stage 11 of the 2026 edition, five days after his teammate Torsten Træen crashed out of the race while wearing the yellow jersey on the Pyrenean stage to Gavarnie-Gèdre.
Record-breaking stage
The stage from Vichy to Nevers was raced at a furious pace from the start, with the breakaway eventually caught just 5km from the finish. Wærenskjold's win marks his first Tour de France success. “It means everything,” he said. “It’s my biggest win so far. Sometimes, I have good confidence and believe in myself. Sometimes, I feel tired and like it’s impossible to win here. I felt really bad at the start, but then I felt better in the final, with adrenaline and everything.”
The record comes after race leader Tadej Pogacar shattered the fastest climb of the Col du Tourmalet earlier in the race. Pogacar revealed his stage had not been entirely straightforward. “I ran over a loose bottle with my front wheel and almost crashed,” he said. “I completely shat my pants there. Luckily, I managed to keep my handlebars upright. It’s nice to have days like this, but you still have to keep your focus throughout the stage.”
Alaphilippe's last hurrah?
The afternoon following France’s shock defeat to Spain at the World Cup, Julian Alaphilippe featured in the day’s four-man breakaway, offering a glimpse of happier times for home fans. However, the former world road race champion, who held the yellow jersey for 14 days in the 2019 Tour, was dropped on the Côte-de-Chevannes, 38km from the finish. The 34-year-old’s effort may prove to have been his last hurrah in the Tour de France.
Pidcock's rollercoaster return
Tom Pidcock’s return to the Tour continues to be eventful. After crashing on Tuesday’s descent of the Puy Mary, the double Olympic gold medallist was fit enough to continue and finished with the peloton in Nevers. He attributed his crash to efforts to stop the Tarmac from melting in extreme heat. “I don’t know what they do with the roads here, [but] when they clean it, they put all this white shit all over it and it makes it really slippery,” he said.
Pogacar dominance
Pogacar’s Bastille Day display drew muted acceptance from rivals. “You have to be realistic,” Jonas Vingegaard’s sports director, Marc Reef, said. “Pogacar is currently the strongest. Bravo to him.” Pogacar appeared to have more fans than detractors on the road, despite some signs disparaging his UAE Emirates XRG team. The four-time winner has not hidden his disdain for rivals, saying last summer he will “probably not speak to 99% of the peloton when I finish my career.”
Kévin Vauquelin of Netcompany Ineos expressed frustration. “In some ways, it pisses me off to see Pogacar win like that, because we too would also like to play at bike racing,” he said. “It’s tough on the breakaways, but you also have to understand that when you have the strength to do it, then you might as well. What really discourages me is not having legs like Pogacar.”
