Norwegian rider Soren Waerenskjold secured victory in the 11th stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Wednesday, marking the fastest road stage in the race’s history. The 161-kilometre route from Vichy to Nevers was completed at an average speed of 50.91 kilometers per hour, surpassing the previous record set in 1999.

Waerenskjold, 26, executed a long-range sprint in the closing hundred metres, capitalizing on an early lead-out move by Dutch rider Cees Bol. As the main sprinters hesitated, Waerenskjold found a gap along the barriers and surged ahead, holding off Dutch rider Olav Kooij, who finished second after winning the fifth stage. Belgian Jasper Philipsen took third place. Philipsen was initially relegated for deviating in the sprint but was reinstated to the podium position after an appeal by his Alpecin-Premier Tech team.

It was Waerenskjold’s first Tour de France stage win and the second-ever for the Uno-X Mobility team, which is in its inaugural season as a World Tour outfit. The Norwegian team had previously held the yellow jersey for two stages earlier in the race through Torstein Træen, who later abandoned due to injury. Waerenskjold described the win as the biggest of his career so far, acknowledging that while there are faster sprinters, a combination of confidence and opportunity allowed him to prevail.

The stage featured a four-man breakaway early on, including former world champion Julian Alaphilippe. This group never gained more than an 11 minute and 40 second lead before the peloton steadily reeled them in. Alaphilippe was dropped with about 40 kilometres remaining, but Anthon Charmig, Mathis Le Berre, and Nelson Oliveira continued to collaborate until they were caught within the last four kilometres. The largely flat profile, combined with a tailwind, contributed to the high average speed throughout the day.

Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar finished safely with the peloton, maintaining his overall lead by more than three and a half minutes over two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar, aiming for a fifth Tour title, noted the strong breakaway forced the peloton to maintain a high pace. Remco Evenepoel remains in third place, 30 seconds further behind.

In the sprint classification, Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay finished fifth, narrowing the gap to green jersey leader Mads Pedersen, who ended the stage in 10th position. Belgian Tim Merlier, who had previously won two sprint stages, finished 14th.

Wednesday’s stage provided a contrast to the more mountainous terrain and extreme heat experienced earlier in the race, offering some milder temperatures and rain at the start, followed by favorable conditions that facilitated the record-breaking pace.