Norwegian sprinter Søren Wærenskjold claimed a historic victory in stage 11 of the Tour de France, setting the fastest road stage time ever recorded in the race's history.
The Uno-X Mobility rider crossed the finish line in Nevers after a high-speed sprint, as reported by The Guardian.
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The victory came just five days after his teammate Torsten Træen was forced to withdraw from the race following a crash in the Pyrenean stage while wearing the yellow jersey.
Local fans had mixed emotions as French rider Julian Alaphilippe joined an early four-man breakaway but dropped back on the Côte-de-Chevannes with 38 kilometers remaining.
The peloton's extreme pace left few opportunities for sprinters, and the final three breakaway riders were caught just five kilometers from the finish line.
British cyclist Tom Pidcock managed to finish alongside the peloton despite suffering a crash on Bastille Day during his descent of the Puy Mary.
"I don't know what they do with the roads here, [but] when they clean it, they put all this white shit all over it and it makes it really slippery," Pidcock said.
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Race leader Tadej Pogacar maintained his dominant form after his recent performance at Le Lioran.
"You have to be realistic," Jonas Vingegaard's sport director Marc Reef said. "Pogacar is currently the strongest.
Bravo to him."
Pogacar previously stated his intense competitive focus, saying he will "probably not speak to 99% of the peloton when I finish my career."
His relentless strategy drew reactions from other riders who felt the pressure of the UAE Emirates XRG team's control over breakaway opportunities.
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"In some ways, it pisses me off to see Pogacar win like that, because we too would also like to play at bike racing," Kévin Vauquelin of the Netcompany Ineos team said.
