cycling: Tour de France stage #11: Sagan and Froome show their cleverness

Cycling: Someone should say that flat stages in the Tour de France are boring. Cycling fans were treated to a real spectacle today near the coast. The strong wind caused the field to split several times. Around twelve kilometers from the finish, the two Tinkoff drivers Peter Sagan and Maciej Bodnar and the Sky drivers Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas pulled away. They took advantage of the confusion in the peloton and the fact that the sprint teams were tired and decimated. Sagan won the sprint ahead of Froome, who was able to shave more seconds off Quintana.

No chance escapes near the coast

The 11th stage of the 2016 Tour de France took riders 162,5km from Carcassonne to Montpellier. The profile looked flat and easy save for two easy category 4 climbs, but wind conditions near the coast should still make the race fast and difficult. 192 drivers were still at the start at 13:35 p.m. today. Only six pilots have had to give up the most important tour of the year so far. Arthur Vichot (FDJ) and Leigh Howard (IAM) were also there and formed the top duo of the day for long stretches today. However, since there are not many stages left for the sprinters, the teams involved naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity. Accordingly, the duo was not left far behind. Wind relays then not only ensured that the group was caught up quickly around 60 km before the finish, but also that the field of riders was torn into several parts. Among others, yesterday's day winner Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange) and the German Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Argon 18) were in a suspended group. When the wind dropped, the teams gave up the wind relays and it was mostly all back together again. Only three drivers took part in the intermediate sprint today. Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step) won this ahead of Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data).

Cycling at its best

Around twelve kilometers from the finish, everything was actually clear. The sprinter teams formed and the pace increased. When the wind suddenly blew sideways into the field again, the two Tinkoff drivers Peter Sagan and Maciej Bodnar attacked. Surprisingly, the Sky duo followed Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas. While the main field was torn apart again and the sprinter teams lacked both the strength and the necessary number of men, the four top time trialists continued to pull away. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) had only one helper left and saw Chris Froome slip away from him again. When Mark Cavendish also suffered a breakdown and therefore no longer wanted to take the Dimension Data team with him, the chances of a merger finally disappeared. In the end, Sagan and Froome only saved a few seconds, but second place enabled the Brit to once again gain valuable time on Quintana. Of course, Sagan won the stage without much effort and he rightly thanked his teammate Bodnar after crossing the finish line. What a performance from teams Tinkoff and Sky, who were not only the strongest today but above all the smartest. Sagan and Froome have impressively proven why they wear their jerseys and why they are among the best racing cyclists of our time. Especially when it comes to world champion Peter Sagan, even cycling experts finally run out of superlatives.

Tour de France Stage #11 – The day's result

Tour de France Stage #11 – The General Classification