Soren Waerenskjold wins Tour de France 11th stage with a record

Soren Waerenskjold of Norway claimed victory in the 11th stage of the Tour de France, sprinting to the finish line in Nevers. The stage was notable for being the fastest in the race's history, with an average speed of 50.91 km/h.

Waerenskjold's win came after Jasper Philipsen was initially fourth but was later disqualified, promoting Milan Fretin to second and Olav Kooij to third. The previous record for the fastest average speed in a road stage of the Tour was 50.36 km/h, set in 1999.

For the overall contenders, the stage was relatively calm. Slovenian leader Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, holding a lead of 3 minutes and 36 seconds over second-placed Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark. Remco Evenepoel of Belgium remained in third place, 4 minutes and 6 seconds behind Pogacar.

This victory marks Waerenskjold's first stage win in the Tour de France and the second for his Uno-X team, following Jonas Abrahamsen's win in the previous year's eleventh stage. The 26-year-old Norwegian, standing at 1.95 meters tall, surprised sprint specialists with his powerful finish.

The stage also featured a four-man breakaway including Julian Alaphilippe, Mathis Le Berre, Anthon Charmig, and Nelson Oliveira. Alaphilippe was the first to falter, struggling with a climb 36 km from the finish, symbolizing his challenging season. The remaining three breakaway riders were caught approximately 30 km later, setting the stage for the final sprint.