Le Lioran, July 10 — Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike showcased his formidable strength by winning the 11th stage of the Tour de France, defeating overall leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) in an exhilarating sprint. The Danish rider completed the 211km journey from Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran in exactly 4 hours and 58 minutes. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) secured third place, finishing 25 seconds behind.
Pogacar initially led the charge with a strong attack on the Puy Mary-Pas de Peyrol, but Vingegaard managed to respond and match the Slovenian’s pace. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) recovered from a late crash to finish fourth, 55 seconds behind the leading duo.
“This victory is incredibly emotional. Coming back from an accident means a lot to me after everything I’ve been through in the past months. Winning makes me reflect on that. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my family’s tremendous support. My wife played a crucial role in my comeback. It’s been just three months since I spent two weeks in the hospital due to severe injuries. I’m grateful to be here,” an emotional Vingegaard expressed.
“I couldn’t keep up with Tadej’s initial attack. He was very strong. I had to fight hard to catch up. I didn’t think I could, but I did. I’m surprised I managed to outsprint him. Three months ago, I couldn’t imagine being here fighting for a victory. It’s incredible to be back at this level, winning a stage of the Tour de France and competing for the overall classification. Honestly, I’m surprised. I never thought I’d return to this level. I knew I’d be good, but not this good,” he added.
“Coming into the Tour de France, I had many doubts and never dreamed of winning a stage. Now I believe I can win the Tour. I typically reach my peak form in the second and third weeks of racing. I hope this year is no different.”
General Classification Update
Pogacar remains in control of the overall individual classification, now holding a 1-minute and 6-second lead over Evenepoel, with Vingegaard in third (1 minute and 14 seconds behind) and Roglic in fourth (2 minutes and 45 seconds behind). “Now, I just need to maintain this solid advantage heading into the Pyrenees. The climbs there will be different and better suited to the kind of efforts I’ve trained for in preparation for the Tour. It’s going to be a fierce and exciting battle to watch. I’m sure no one doubts Jonas’ good form anymore. We can’t forget Remco and Primoz – even though they lost some time today, they’ll be up there,” Pogacar commented.
The Slovenian reflected on the stage: “Jonas made a great effort, proving he’s in excellent shape. I waited a bit to secure the bonus seconds at the summit. After that, I knew the final climb wasn’t tough enough for another attack, so I waited for the final sprint. I made a small mistake there, not expecting this kind of finish and not knowing the last few hundred meters well. I also didn’t anticipate such a strong sprint from Jonas.”
“I don’t think I lost any psychological battle. I beat him on the first climb, and then he came back on the second. We’re well-matched,” Pogacar concluded. He was named the most combative rider of the stage and also took the lead in the mountains classification.
Stage Overview
Following Tim Declercq’s (Lidl-Trek) withdrawal due to health issues, 171 cyclists lined up at the start in Évaux-les-Bains, ready for a challenging 211km route through the rugged Massif Central with 4,350 meters of elevation gain.
Anticipating a strong breakaway, the first two hours of the stage saw relentless attacks, averaging a remarkable speed of 47.1km/h over hilly terrain. This intense pace claimed two victims, Ion Izagirre and Alexis Renard, who both abandoned due to illness and injuries.
Fight for the Breakaway
As the battle to establish a breakaway continued, Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) was first at the intermediate sprint in Bourg-Lastic (km 65). At km 76, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies) managed to break free.
Upon reaching the top of Côte de Mouilloux (Cat. 4, km 79.8), they were joined by Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), and Oier Lazkano (Movistar Team). Lazkano led the ascent, with the peloton just 12 seconds behind, controlled by UAE Team Emirates, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Ineos Grenadiers.
The main group eased slightly on Côte de Larodde (Cat. 3, km 89.7), allowing five more riders to attempt joining the breakaway: Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), Guillaume Martin, and Axel Zingle (Cofidis). Carapaz was first to the summit, with the chasers arriving 40 seconds later and the peloton 1 minute and 30 seconds behind. Zingle dropped back, but the others joined the breakaway, forming a consolidated group of ten at km 101.
UAE Controls the Breakaway
With a maximum gap of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, UAE Team Emirates began to control the breakaway. As they approached the Col de Néronne, the peloton’s strong selection left behind riders like Romain Bardet and Geraint Thomas. Lazkano reduced the competition and was joined by Healy at the summit.
The Race Explodes
Starting the Puy Mary-Pas de Peyrol climb, Lazkano, Carapaz, and Healy reunited, but their energy waned as the lead shrank to 30 seconds. Healy was the last to resist but was caught 1km from the summit by a reduced main group.
Tadej Pogacar attacked 600 meters from the summit, gaining a 5-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard, which extended to 30 seconds on the descent but couldn’t maintain it on the Col de Pertus ascent.
100 meters from the summit, Pogacar was joined by Vingegaard, who won the 8-second bonus point. Evenepoel and Roglic were 45 seconds behind. On the final climb, Pogacar and Vingegaard climbed together, with Vingegaard clinching the stage win in Le Lioran.
Jersey Holders
- Yellow Jersey – Overall leader – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
- Green Jersey – Points leader – Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)
- Polka Dot Jersey – King of the Mountains – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
- White Jersey – Best young rider – Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)
Next Stage
The 12th stage on Thursday, July 11, covers 203.6km from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, featuring mountainous terrain and a notable climb at Rocamadour, reversing the 2022 Tour time trial route.
Tour Stages Overview
- Stage 1: June 29 – Florence to Rimini – 206km
- Stage 2: June 30 – Cesenatico to Bologna – 198.7km
- Stage 3: July 1 – Piacenza to Torino – 230.5km
- Stage 4: July 2 – Pinerolo to Valloire – 139.6km
- Stage 5: July 3 – Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas Plaine de l’Ain – 177.4km
- Stage 6: July 4 – Mâcon to Dijon – 163.5km
- Stage 7: July 5 – Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin – 25.3km (ITT)
- Stage 8: July 6 – Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises – 183.4km
- Stage 9: July 7 – Troyes to Troyes – 199km
- Rest Day: July 8
- Stage 10: July 9 – Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond – 187.3km
- Stage 11: July 10 – Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran – 211km
- Stage 12: July 11 – Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot – 203.6km
- Stage 13: July 12 – Agen to Pau – 165.3km
- Stage 14: July 13 – Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet – 151.9km
- Stage 15: July 14 – Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille – 197.7km
- Rest Day: July 15
- Stage 16: July 16 – Gruissan to Nîmes – 188.6km
- Stage 17: July 17 – Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Superdévoluy – 177.8km
- Stage 18: July 18 – Gap to Barcelonnette – 179.6km
- Stage 19: July 19 – Embrun to Isola 2000 – 144.6km
- Stage 20: July 20 – Nice to Col de la Couillole – 132.8km
- Stage 21: July 21 – Monaco to Nice – 33.7km (ITT)