Wærenskjold goes from last to first to win a breakneck stage 11 in Nevers
The Uno-X sprinter, dropped to last a day earlier, times it perfectly to hold off Kooij and Philipsen at the end of one of the fastest stages in Tour history.
Søren Wærenskjold produced the turnaround of the 2026 Tour de France on Wednesday, winning stage 11 in Nevers barely 24 hours after crossing the line last on the brutal climbs of the Massif Central. The Uno-X Mobility sprinter timed his effort to perfection on the flat run into town, launching from distance off his team's lead-out and holding off Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen to the line.
The 161.3km stage from Vichy ran on wet, cooler roads that the sprinters welcomed after the previous day's mountains. A four-man break featuring Julian Alaphilippe went clear early but was hauled back inside the closing kilometres, setting up the expected bunch finish. As the peloton strung out through the final corners, Wærenskjold committed early and backed himself, and neither Kooij nor Philipsen could quite come around him.
A breakneck finish
It was a furiously fast run to the line. Reports put the average speed at around 50.9km/h across the stage, making it one of the quickest road stages in Tour history and eclipsing the mark Mario Cipollini set back in 1999. Nevers had not hosted the Tour since 2003, when Alessandro Petacchi won its last bunch sprint there.
Redemption and the bigger picture
The win was sweet vindication for Wærenskjold, who had been caught up in a sprint controversy earlier in the race, forced to brake to avoid the barriers and left fuming as he finished 11th on an earlier stage. Out front, nothing changed at the top: Tadej Pogačar kept the yellow jersey, his overall lead intact as the race turns towards the high mountains in the days ahead.
