"I cried in the hospital" - Jonas Abrahamsen makes an incredible comeback to win Tour stage

Jonas Abrahamsen was among the first to attack away from peloton on stage 11 and, 156 kilometers later, was also the first rider to cross the finish line in Toulouse. For the Uno-X Mobility rider it's a fairly tale after a heartbrake injury at one of the preparation races.

"I broke my collarbone four weeks ago in the Baloise Belgium Tour, and I cried in the hospital because I thought I wouldn't make it to the Tour de France," Abrahamsen said in a flash interview. "The next day, however, I was on the rollers and my hopes were restored. From then on, I did everything I could every day to get back, and winning a stage here is incredible."

After full day in front of peloton, the duo Mauro Schmid and Abrahamsen were able to hold off the chasers and in particular Mathieu van der Poel. Then it came down to a one-on-one sprint where the Norwegian was able to hold off the Swiss champion.

"Mauro was so strong today, all day long. It was incredibly difficult to pass him in the sprint, but I told myself I was here in the Tour and that I had to win the stage."

While Abrahamsen was a pivotal figure of the opening week, always at the front, this year he took a different approach. "People have asked me why I wasn't in the breakaway more often, to score points for the mountain classification. But the team's goal was to win a stage, so I had to manage my energy more wisely."

"Last year, I was riding for 14 days in the blubber and was tired, so I couldn't win a stage. That was my dream now," laughed Abrahamsen. On Wednesday, he made no mistakes: "I knew I had a good sprint, but we were already out all day, so I had to be smart. Our lead was never very big; we had to work for it all day. I was hoping to beat him in the sprint, and we had a strong Mathieu (van der Poel, ed.) behind us."

It's a dream come true for the Uno-X Mobility as this is their first Tour de France victory. "It's wonderful that I've been able to see how we've grown every year since the team launched in 2017. We have wonderful people working for us, and they also helped me reach the Tour. I'm proud of the team."