Norway’s Waerenskjold wins fastest Tour de France stage in history

Norwegian cyclist Soren Waerenskjold executed a long-range sprint to claim victory in the 11th stage of the Tour de France, establishing a new record for the fastest road stage in the race's 113-year history. The 161-kilometer stage from Vichy to Nevers was completed at an average speed of 50.91 kilometers per hour, surpassing all previous Tour de France road stage speeds.

Dutchman Olav Kooij, who won the fifth stage, finished second, while Belgian Milan Fretin was promoted to third after his compatriot Jasper Philipsen was demoted from that position. Waerenskjold, 26 years old, described the victory as his most significant achievement to date. He had previously finished second in the seventh stage to Bordeaux and won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad one-day classic the previous year.

The sprint finish proved disjointed, with no team successfully organizing a traditional sprint train to position their designated sprinter. Kooij's lead-out rider Cees Bol launched from the front as the main sprinters hesitated, but Waerenskjold responded first, establishing a gap of several bike lengths. Although both Kooij and Philipsen caught Waerenskjold near the finish line, neither possessed sufficient strength to overtake him. Belgian Tim Merlier, who had won the seventh and eighth sprint stages, finished disappointingly in 14th place.

Eritrean Biniam Girmay finished fifth, reducing Dane Mads Pedersen's lead in the sprinters' green jersey competition to 43 points after Pedersen could only manage 10th place. The victory marked the second stage win for the Norwegian Uno-X Mobility team in its inaugural World Tour season, following Jonas Abrahamsen's success the previous year. The team had also held the yellow jersey for two stages with Torstein Traeen before he crashed out with a concussion and broken ribs.

Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar finished safely within the main pack, maintaining his overall lead of more than three and a half minutes over two-time former winner Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar attributed the high speed partly to the strength of the breakaway riders, noting that the sprint teams had to control the pace to catch them, resulting in slower riding during the final kilometers.