NEVERS, France — The 2024 Tour de France’s 11th stage delivered a textbook sprint finish that ended with a breakthrough win for 26-year-old Norwegian rider Søren Wærenskjold on Wednesday, while defending champion and current race leader Tadej Pogačar successfully protected his commanding overall position atop the general classification.
The 161.3-kilometer (100.2-mile) parcours from central France’s Vichy to Nevers was defined by rolling terrain that flattened out in the closing kilometers, a profile that always favored a bunch sprint finish. Expectations held true as the peloton reeled in every early breakaway ahead of the final dash to the line, setting the stage for the fastest riders in the race to compete for the stage honors.
Wærenskjold held off fellow Norwegian sprinter Olav Kooij by a tire’s width to take the win, with Belgian sprint star Jasper Philipsen and a large pack of fast-finishing riders trailing close behind. What makes the victory even more remarkable for the Norwegian is that it came just 24 hours after he crashed heavily during the demanding, hilly 10th stage that finished at Le Lioran. Wærenskjold recovered from the incident to claim the first Grand Tour stage win of his professional career.
For overall classification contender Tadej Pogačar, Wednesday’s stage was all about maintaining the advantage he built on the previous day of racing. The Slovenian, who claimed his third stage win of this year’s Tour on Tuesday to extend his lead over his closest rivals, crossed the finish line in the main peloton alongside defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, Pogačar’s primary challenger for the yellow jersey. Pogačar now retains his cushion of more than three and a half minutes over Vingegaard in the general classification standings as the race heads toward the decisive mountain stages in the Alps.