As it happened: breakaway succeeds and Pogačar crashes on chaotic stage 11 of the Tour de France

By last updated

The peloton tackles 156.8km around Toulouse in a last opportunity for the sprinters ahead of the Pyrenees

Refresh

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage for stage 11 of the 2025 Tour de France!

After yesterday's rest day, we're expecting some recharged riders in the Tour de France peloton today.

Wondering what the riders got up to on their day off? Well, Tadej Pogačar went for a gentle coffee ride and then ate a burger, of course!

For a deeper look at what's coming up on today's stage, including the categorised climbs and intermediate sprint locations, check out our stage 11 preview here.

Today also marks Ben Healy's first day in the Tour de France's leader's jersey.

It's unlikely - but never off the cards - that there will be any GC action today.

In case you needed a reminder, here are the overall standings heading into the second week of racing at the 2025 Tour de France.

With the neutralised start less than an hour away, the pre-stage team presentation and rider sign-on are underway.

We've also got a first glimpse at EF and Cannondale's yellow bike for Healy. Unsurprisingly, they've gone all out for it!

While you wait for the action to get underway, why not take a look at the latest in-depth feature on Cyclingnews.

A big grin on this man's face at the start in Toulouse today. Could he help Kaden Groves claim stage victory this afternoon?

Or could Arnaud De Lie clinch the biggest win of his career so far?

In the battle for the green jersey, there are 70 points on offer throughout today's stage.

In the King of the Mountains competition, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) will be safe in the polka dot jersey for another day at least. He leads the classification with 27 points, 11 clear of Ben Healy.

Not long now until the riders roll out from today's start venue, which is alongside the Stadium de Toulouse.

The current temperature on the ground in Toulouse is 27 degrees celsius.

Neutralised start

The lumpy terrain means we’re set for a competitive battle to get up the road once the flag drops. Lots of riders will believe the sprinters can be denied today by the breakaway.

The first half of the stage is flatter than the second half. Four of the day’s five categorised climbs are concentrated in the last 50 of the day’s 157 kilometres. That should aid any rouleurs who want to get into the break.

It’s a lengthy neutralised zone today. The riders still aren’t due to start officially racing for another ten minutes.

Here were three of the day's jersey winners at the start - Evenepoel in white, Milan in green, and Healy in yellow.

The peloton continues to ride behind the car, but the official start is imminent now.

And they're off!

Three riders attack straight away, including Jonas Abrahamsen.

Davide Ballerini and Mauro Schmid are the two riders with Abrahamsen.

Many more attackers are flying out of the peloton - including Wout van Aert.

Van Aert is in a group of about ten between the three leaders and the peloton.

The Van Aert group (which also included, among others, Demare and Benjamin Thomas) have been brought back by the peloton, while the leading trio have a lead of about 15 seconds.

This is far from done. Still many riders are trying to attack out of the peloton.

Interestingly, Jonathan Milan is trying to get up the road. You’d have thought he’d sit in the peloton and hope for a bunch sprint, but perhaps he wants to seal the green jersey points in the intermediate sprint coming up halfway into the stage? Or maybe he believes the finale is too hard for him to survive in the event of a bunch finish?

Either way, Milan and that small group of attackers haven't managed to go clear.

Robert Stannard has succeeded in going clear from the peloton, and is chasing the leading trio, about 20 seconds behind.

Still the attacks come from the peloton, but they’re now almost a minute behind the three leaders.

Stannard has been brought back.

Lidl-Trek have been especially lively today, with Milan, Nys and Skujiņš all having a go.

Abrahamsen, Ballerini and Schmid are for now the only riders ahead of the peloton, and have a lead of 45 seconds.

Nelson Oliveira and Thomas Gachignard have jumped clear of the peloton and have a gap.

The three riders at the front of the race.

Oliveira and Gachignard are still out there, while behind a PicnicPost-NL rider sparks the next flurry of attacks.

Oliveira and Gachignard have been brought back into the peloton, and once more Abrahamsen, Ballerini and Schmid are the only riders out of the peloton.

The riders are on the first catergorised climb of the day - the Côte de Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds, which rises for 1.5km at 5.9%.

Riders are using the climb to accelerate and try and jump out of the bunch, with a Movistar rider leading it, but there are no splits yet.

Alaphilippe has managed to get a small gap, with Campanaerts on his wheel. And now Campanaert’s teammate Van Aert is coming up to them.

Van Aert passes them and goes clear alone.

Van Aert is brought back, and the peloton is back all togegher.

Quinnn Simmons it the latest rider to try, and has Van Aert and a Cofidis rider with him as they go over the top of the climb.

Up ahead, Abrahamsen take the one point on offer in the mountains classification.

The three leaders still have a good lead, of about one minute.

There have been some splits in the peloton on that climb - and Healy was caught out.

We have a front peloton and a back peloton with Healy in it, while Van Aert and Simmons have been joined by about ten more riders in a breakaway group chasing the leading trio.

There are plenty of strong riders in this Van Aert group, including many classics specialists - Stuyven, Wright and Mohoric among them.

They've been brought back now though.

EF have a long line of riders trying to pace the Healy group back to the front peloton. They’re not too far behind, only about 15 seconds or so, so no need to panic.

The two pelotons have come back together.

Meanwhile out the front of the peloton, Kévin Vauquelin is on the attack, going clear with Alexandre Delettre.

Vauquelin has sat up, but Delettre continues to ride.

The trio at the front is 45 second ahead of the peloton, with Delettre in between, less than ten seconds ahead of the latter.

Marco Haller has joined Delettre, and together they're trying to ride up to the leaders.

A quintessential Tour de France scene from the race today.

Things have calmed down in the peloton a bit now. There haven’t been any gaps opened by anyone since Haller jumped out to join Delettre, and now the attacks have ceased - but they haven’t sat up yet.

And as we speak, another attack has been launched! A pair of Decathlon riders have gone clear with another rider.

Multiple more riders have attacks too. It's all kicked off again!

Tronchon and Berthet were the two Decathlon riders, and had TotalEnergies' Vercher with them. They've caught Delettre and Haller.

So, we still have the three leaders of Abrahamsen, Ballerini and Schmid out front, with a five-man chase group 56 seconds behind, and the peloton 1:27 behind.

Another group has formed between the Tronchon group and the peloton, featuring Connor Swift, Benjamin Thomas, Mühlberger and Meurisse.

The four-man chase group featuring Benjamin Thomas is now close to the 2nd group on the road than the peloton.

While all this action is taking place behind them, Ballerini, Abrahamsen and Schmid continue to set a pace and lead the race.

The second group has closed to about 30 seconds from the leading trio; the third group is 10 seconds behind them, and the peloton another 20 seconds adrift. The elastic hasn't snapped between any of the groups yet.

We have a big coming together again, as both the second and third groups are brought back by the peloton, now being powered along by Van Aert.

That increase in pace has also brought the leading trio back to just 20 seconds. After all they’re work, they too might be caught.

The pace slows in the peloton, which allows Bruno Armirail to attack from it.

There’s a split in the peloton. Milan has missed it and is leading the chase.

Panic over - the split has been undone.

The peloton is all stretched out, but nobody has managed to go clear. Still Abrahamsen, Ballerini and Schmid lead, by 20 seconds.

The pace has been relentless in the peloton all day, with Wout van Aert one of the main protagonists, either trying to get up the road himself, or shutting down moves.

Fred Wright and Mathieu Burgaudeau are the latest to try an attack out of the bunch.

That duo is five seconds ahead of the peloton, and 20 seconds behind the leaders.

This could be it - the pace has slowed in the peloton, and nobody is attacking.

Riders are dropping off for comfort breaks. It does indeed appear as if the attacks have stopped and the break will be allowed to build a gap.

Wright and Burgaudeau have joined up to Abrahamsen, Ballerini and Schmid, so we have a leading group of five riders.

Hold the press, it’s not over yet! Some Groupama-FDJ riders have instigated more attacks.

And now suddenly everyone is at it again, with a host of attacks being made.

These attackers have a lot of ground to make up, however. The five leaders are about two minutes up the road.

The two Groupama riders are Russo and Pacher, and they’re with Gianni Vermeersch, about 30 seconds ahead of the peloton.

In between that Groupama group and the peloton are multiple groups still trying to get up the road. The race is in bits once again.

Van Aert is once again one of the main protagonists, driving on in one of those groups between the chasers and the peloton.

Up ahead though, things are serene. The five leaders have a big gap, and are riding together.

Still more attacks are coming from the peloton. A Movistar rider leads a group of 6 that are trying to go clear.

This is making for some bizarre racing. Do all these attackers believe they can make up the deficit of nearly two minutes to the leaders?

That latest group of attackers have joined the group containing Van Aert. They’re still about 20 seconds behind Pacher, Russo and Vermeeresch, and 1:40 behind the leaders.

We're over halfway into the stage, and still things have not settled down. In fact, the peloton is starting to come back to the three leaders, bringing the gap down to 1:30.

The peloton is bearing down on the two groups in between itself and the leaders.

Van Aert is on the move. His acceleration has brought many of the riders in his group up to Pacher, Russo and Vermeeresch.

Van der Poel attacks!

He’s made what is now the small junction from the peloton to the Van Aert group.

And now Vingegaard attacks, with Healy! This is madness.

Visma are trying to capitalise on this chaos. Healy is alert, latching onto his wheel, but not Pogačar.

Now Pogačar is there, with Evenepoel as well.

There are only about 20 in this yellow jersey group. None of the top GC contenders are missing from it, but Primož Roglič is in the peloton about 20 seconds behind.

Simmons attacks from the yellow jersey group.

Simmons has been joined by no less than Van Aert and Van der Poel, as well as Laurance and De Lie. That’s some group.

The Van der Poel and Van Aert group have a gap over the yellow jersey group.

The yellow jersey group and the GC riders in it have relaxed, and allowed themselves to go back into the peloton, which is swelling as riders from behind join it.

The race has settled down a bit, and the situation is: the five riders out front continue to lead, 50 seconds ahead of the Van der Poel / Van Aert group, with the peloton 1:50 behind, now featuring all of the GC favourites.

The leaders have gone over the intermediate sprint, with Abrahamsen taking the points.

Behind, Simmons and De Lie sprint for the minor placings, ahead of Van der Poel. Simmons is working in defence of Milan’s green jersey, but his rival Van der Poel doesn’t seem to be concerned with chasing them.

And in the peloton, Milan and Girmay sprint for the remaining points, the former finishing just ahead of the latter. That means Milan will take 4 points and Girmay 3, while ahead Van der Poel claimed 8.

Here was the move Vingegaard made, with Healy in the yellow jersey on his wheel. For once, Pogačar did not immediately react, although he did join up to them soon after along with the rest of the GC favourites, and they've all since gone back together.

Despite their strength, the Van der Poel / Van Aert group is struggling to make inroads on the leaders. They still have 45 seconds to make up.

Still the chase group are 40 seconds adrift. But they have at least grown an advantage over the peloton, of 1:50. With such strong riders up the road, it’s going to be difficult for the sprinters' teams to bring them back for a bunch finish.

Right now IPT are leading the peloton, possibly for sprinter Pascal Ackermann.

The Van der Poel group has made some inroads, taking about ten seconds to bring them to 30 seconds. But the leaders seem intent on making them work very hard for them to join.

Here's Van der Poel and Van Aert - it's great to see them riding together again, and resuming their old rivalry.

We've entered the final phase of the race, with Wright leading the front group over the first of four categorised climbs in the final 45km. The first two-thirds of the race were fast and furious, and now the rider's legs will be tested even more with some elevation gain.

The Van der Poel group is slowly closing in on the leaders, now just 20 seconds behind.

Still the lead group maintain their lead of 25 seconds over the chasers, as they begin the category four Côte de Corronsac.

Meanwhile the peloton is 2:30 behind. They seem unlikely to being this back for a bunch finish.

Wright takes the point at the top of the climb, with nobody sprinting for it.

IPT haven't given up the ghost. They’re setting a fierce pace in the peloton.

Their pace has caused some riders to be dropped. Milan in the green jersey is in a group 50 seconds behind.

While Van der Poel and Van Aert are the headline names in the break, there are plenty of other strong names who will fancy their chances of a stage win. Both De Lie and Laurance would be dangerous in the event of a group finish, while Simmons has impressed throughout this Tour with his engine and ability to keep attacking.

IPT have knocked off the pace, and the peloton has slowed. EF take over, but are setting a much more modest pace.

And now the pace is back up in the peloton. Groupama-FDJ is the team to take over from EF. Do they really think they can bring the breakaway riders back?

Groupama’s work has had a bit of an effect, bringing the gap to the leaders down to 2:15. The Van der Poel group is still 22 seconds behind, meanwhile.

That burst from Groupama-FDJ appears to be over. EF have taken control of the peloton.

Remember that Abrahamesen, Ballerini and Schmid have spent literally all day riding at the front. They must be exhausted by now, especially with this effort to keep the chasing group at bay, and will face a huge challenge if the two groups do eventually come together and they have to keep up with Van Aert, Van der Poel during this hilly finale.

One interesting factor is that none of the five teams represented in the front group have won a stage yet at this year’s Tour. They’ll be sensing a real opportunity, and won’t want Van der Poel, Van Aert and co to ruin it.

Van Aert is taking matters into his own hands. He’s accelerated and increased the pace in the chase group as they climb an uncategorised hill.

That acceleration briefly brought the gap down to 18 seconds, but it’s back up to over 20 seconds again. The peloton are drifting further behind, at 3:10.

EF lead the peloton, which has now calmed down following what has been a relentlessly frantic stage.

The leading two groups are now on the penultimate climb of the day, Côte de Vieille-Toulouse. This could be the moment for those in the second group to make real inroads.

Simmons attacks on the climb.

Nobody has followed him.

There's daylight between Simmons and the rest of the chase group.

Abrahamsen has gone clear with Schmid.

Abrahamsen takes the point at the summit ahead of Schmid, and the pair have a gap over the others.

Simmons is working his way those dropped from the break. He's now with Wright, with Burgaudeau ahead of him, and Schmid and Abrahamsen ahead of them.

In the peloton, the pace isn’t high, but Skjelmose is still struggling towards the back.

Abrahamsen and Schmid are 20 seconds ahead of Simmons, Burgaudeau and Wright. What a performance this is from that pair, who are still so strong despite being out in front all day.

The two leaders are 20 seconds ahead of the three chasers, 34 seconds ahead of the Van der Poel/Van Aert group, and 3:30 ahead of the peloton as they're about to start the final climb.

This final climb, Côte de Pech David, is the hardest of the day, rising at a viscous 9.8% for 800m.

The noise is deafening on this climb, with cheering fans having flocked to the roadside here.

Van der Poel attacks!

This is a big move, he's flying clear.

Abrahamsen and Schmid reach the top of the climb in first and second, but Van der Poel is bearing down on them.

It’s also kicking off in the peloton at the start of the climb - Kévin Vauquelin has attacked.

Up ahead, Van der Poel is now third on the road after his huge attack. He’s still 25 seconds behind the leading duo, however.

Vauquelin has been caught by the peloton, but there are only about 15 riders left in it. Healy is safely in it, however.

Vingegaard attacks!

He’s not allowed clear, as they go over the top of the climb.

Visma aren’t finished yet - Jorgensen attacks on the descent.

Just 5km left for the leading two, but Van der Poel is getting closer. He’s just 15 seconds behind!

Meanwhile the rest of the chasers are just under 20 seconds behind Van der Poel.

Pogačar's gone down!

He hasn’t gone down heavily, and is back up and racing, but he stands to lose time - the incident happened outside of the final 3km.

The yellow jersey group is waiting for Pogacar to rejoin.

That's a sporting gesture from Vingegaard and co.

Meanwhile the race is still on for the stage. Van der Poel still has 10 seconds to make up, with just over 2km to go.

Abrahamsen and Schmid are still working together to try to keep Van der Poel at bay, but at some point they need to concentrate on beating each other. There can only be one stage winner.

Pogačar is back safely in the yellow jersey group.

Van der Poel is 8 second behind the 2 leaders, who are starting to look at each other...

Schmid is leading Abrahamsen, but Van der Poel can see them.

Abrahamsen and Schmid..and it's a photo finish!

Van der Poel finised third. We still don't know who has won out of Abrahamsen and Schmid.

It's been confirmed, Jonas Abrahamsen has won stage 11 of the Tour de France!

That’s not only a first ever Grand Tour winner for the Norwegian, but also for his Uno-X Mobility team.

Now the peloton arrives at the finishing straight. Pogačar won't lose any time despite his crash, but will he be nursing any injuries or pain ahead of tomorrow's entry into the Pyrenees?

Uno-X Mobility team's Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen cycles to the finish line to win the 11th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 156.8 km starting and finishing in Toulouse, southwestern France, on July 16, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

(Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

To add to the chaos in that finale, and the stage as a whole, a spectator was on the road on the finishing straight, as well as a security guard trying to stop him.

What a sublime ride for the win that was from Jonas Abrahamsen. We’ve seen the Norwegian and his powerful engine at the front of the Tour many times over the past few years, but this was his best ride yet, somehow holding off none other than Van der Poel despite spending the entire stage at the front of the race.

In fact, while the situation behind him fluctuated constantly, there wasn’t a single moment all day that Abrahamsen wasn’t one of the first five riders on the road.

Adding to the narrative, Abrahamsen broke his collarbone just a few weeks before the start of the Tour. Back then it seemed very unlikely he’d even be here, let alone strong enough to win a stage.

Despite all the drama with the Pogačar crash, the peloton arrived home together with all the main favourites present, and there was no change to the top ten on GC.

Chapeau also to Mauro Schmid, who rode similarly strongly to Abrahamsen, and missed out on the stage win by a mere fraction. Look out for him in more breakaways to come at this Tour.

Here’s Pogačar at the finish. He doesn’t look hurt from his crash, but time will tell.

This was just after the incident, Pogačar sorting his bike after the impact. The fact he was more worried with the state of his bike rather than his body could be a sign he hasn’t been hurt by the fall.

Van der Poel congratulating stage winner Abrahamsen at the finish, having failed to chase him down in the finale.

Thanks for joining us today, for what was a thrilling, breathless affair featuring far more drama than the mostly flat parcours suggested it would.

Latest on Cyclingnews