Vingegaard stages remarkable comeback to win 11th stage of Tour de France, beating rival Pogacar in final sprint

Jonas Vingegaard staged a significant comeback on Wednesday’s 11th stage of the Tour de France. Despite rival Tadej Pogacar’s aggressive cycling and a lead of over half a minute over Vingegaard and the other favorites, the two-time Danish Tour winner found a good rhythm and managed to catch up to the man in the yellow leader’s jersey. The two Tour de France contenders crossed the finish line together, with Vingegaard proving stronger in the final sprint and clinching the 11th stage, narrowly ahead of the Slovenian.

Before the start of the stage, there was much speculation about breakout riders. It didn’t take a cycling expert to conclude that the day’s stage profile looked like an attractive opportunity for the field’s opportunists. When the race started, it was clear that many riders planned to break away. However, it took around 60 kilometers for the day’s breakaway group to form and be allowed to set off. No Danish riders were involved, despite Magnus Cort’s determined attempts to join.

It quickly became apparent that it was not going to be a day for the breakaway riders, who were closely controlled by the leading teams in the field. Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma – Lease a Bike led the field for much of Wednesday’s stage. However, this did little to prevent the pressure applied by UAE and Pogacar in the final stages.

As the field approached the day’s explosive finale, Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates began to increase the pace. The breakaway riders were doomed, as were most of the riders trying to keep up with the favorites in the field.

With about 40 kilometers remaining, most of the original breakaway was caught, and with 30 kilometers left, the most persistent opportunist was reeled in. This set the stage for a battle for the overall lead.

On the day’s third-last climb, the category 1 ascent Pas de Peyrol, the Slovenian launched a surprise attack. Pogacar quickly established a lead of over half a minute over Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic.

On the day’s penultimate climb, the two-time Danish Tour winner found a good rhythm and Remco Evenepoel was no longer able to keep up. Shortly after, Primoz Roglic also fell behind Vingegaard. Now it was truly a man-to-man battle.

However, Vingegaard managed to close the gap to the Slovenian with just under 15 kilometers to go, against all odds. The two Tour de France rivals were back together. The two rode together to the finish line, where Vingegaard was the strongest in the direct sprint.