DISCUSSION Tour de France Stage 11 | Did the peloton do the right thing by waiting for Pogacar?
Cycling
After the first rest day of the week, the
peloton faced a tricky stage in the south of France, which served as a prelude
to what we will see tomorrow in the Pyrenees.
Continuing the trend from the first week, the
pace at the beginning of the stage was exceptionally fast. It took quite a
while before a breakaway group was established, which included Jonas
Abrahamsen, Mauro Schmid, Fred Wright, Davide Ballerini, and Mathieu
Burgaudeau.
A chasing group was formed soon after, including
some of the most in-form classics specialists, like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout
van Aert, Quinn Simmons, Arnaud de Lie, and Axel Laurance.
On the final climb of the day, the front group
fragmented after Abrahamsen attacked, with Schmid perfectly glued to his wheel.
The chasing group also saw Van der Poel attack, but he was unable to hunt down
the duo in front. Jonas Abrahamsen won the sprint, giving Uno-X their first-ever
win in the Tour de France.
The peloton also had a really busy day. Team
Visma | Lease a Bike tried once again to explode the race, with Jonas
Vingegaard this time attacking in first person. The dramatic moment of the
stage was Tadej Pogacar crashing with just 4 km to go. The crash did not have
serious consequences, apparently, and the Slovenian did not lose time with the
rest of the GC contenders.
Once the stage finished, we asked some of our
writers to share their thoughts and main takeaways about what happened today.
Rúben Silva (CyclingUpToDate)
Masterful day of racing, full speed from start to finish with some of the very best classic riders and rouleurs battling for the stage win whilst simultaneously having an unpredictable and exciting GC battle. Couldn't ask for more really, it was a proper Tour stage and at the same time the fatigue coming from this 'easy' day can create even more interesting situations later on.
Stage win: Jonas Abrahamsen did what he does best, ride for hours and hours at the limit and simply have an endurance ability that few riders can match. He wasn't the strongest climber or sprinter, but was a very complete rider who benefited from a day of racing with no rest at any point. Mauro Schmid rode a very very strong stage to, his very best level, but it was not enough in the final sprint.
Wout van Aert rode so much to form a breakaway and put Visma in the front so I was surprised he still had the legs in the finale to be in contention, so it was beautiful to see another Van Aert-van der Poel battle. But the group they were in, together with Arnaud de Lie, Axel Laurance and Quinn Simmons is just simply unbelievable - five of the strongest and most in-form classics specialists in the race.
GC: Vingegaard's early attack was a display of what Visma is trying to do in this race, using opportunities to try and surprise, and use their team to try and get the jump on Pogacar. It didn't work but it was a proper attack, perfectly timed and with van Aert in front to push Vingegaard.
Pogacar actually was caught by surprise which is hard to understand because he knows the dangers of the Dane and having Visma men in front. But he closed the gap. That attack was the highlight of the day for me.
On the final climb he tried again over the summit, not on the climb which means Visma finally understood they should be going on the tricky moments of the race... Then Pogacar's crash, which I think won't have many consequences in the race, but it meant for an anti-climatic finale as the GC action completely stopped.
Tomorrow we face the mountains for the first time, with riders climbing a high mountain for the first time in weeks and the heat present. A day for big gaps and potential explosions for some men.
Félix Serna (CyclingUpToDate)
I don’t know what the outcome of the Tour de
France will be, but one thing is clear to me: even if Pogacar wins the race for
the fourth time in his career, it is difficult to fault Team Visma. They have tried
to surprise Tadej since day one, even in days when you would usually not expect
them to do so, like today.
I think Pogacar was not expecting such a move
today; he was caught off guard by Vingegaard’s attack, but he managed to close
the gap really fast. It was one of the first times we saw the Dane attack Tadej
in first person, so it was an interesting move from the tactical point of view.
The crash should not have a big impact on the
race. Pogacar did not look badly hurt, and apparently he should only have some scratches
and a little bit of skin off. Let’s see how he recovers tomorrow, because the
climb at Hautacam is very demanding.
I've seen quite a bit of debate around the fact
that the peloton waited for Pogacar after his crash, people saying no one
waited for Almeida when he fell, or for Enric Mas either… But I don’t think
it's such a big deal.
The race situation was different this time. The
pace wasn’t full-on when the crash happened, so it's not surprising that the
peloton chose to wait. Pogacar is a highly respected rider in the bunch, and
honestly, he’d be the first to do the same if something like that happened to
Vingegaard, for example.
Jonas Abrahamsen got a very well-deserved win
for Uno-X. The Norwegian rider broke his collarbone just four weeks ago in
Belgium, and he managed to make it to the Tour de France. It is one of those
remarkable stories of perseverance and overcoming adversity that make cycling
so special.
Van der Poel delivered another masterclass once
again. It looks to me as if the Tour is not his race, though. He fell short of
winning the stage, just as he did a few days ago when he was caught by the peloton
with just 500 meters to go.
Van Aert confirmed that he is back in good form.
Maybe it is not his best form ever, but still, it will be interesting to see
how Visma decides to use him in the mountain stages.
And you? What are your thoughts about what
happened today? Leave a comment and join the discussion!
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
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