On a day when many expected a bunch sprint, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Chris Froome (Sky) made a major coup on the windy roads to Montpellier as the Slovakian won the stage and the Brit finished second to extend his lead by 12 seconds. After Sagan and Maciej Bodnar (Tinkoff) had escaped in the wind, Froome and Geraint Thomas (Sky) bridged across and the quartet did a marvelous job to keep the sprint teams at bay. Sagan easily beat Froome in the sprint before Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) won the bunch sprint six seconds later and so Froome now leads Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) by 28 seconds.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Peter Sagan: Today we were not actors, we were artists

With a twist in the tail that nobody could have expected, Peter Sagan took his second stage win of this year’s Tour de France with an audacious attacking move 12km from the finish, taking teammate Maciej Bodnar and the Yellow Jersey with him. His stage win and the points amassed during the stage help the UCI World Champion to extend his lead in the points contest, and leads the second-placed rider by a significant margin.

 

Having been denied their bunch sprint by Peter Sagan’s breakaway group yesterday, the sprint teams were given a second chance to contest the finish before the Tour de France returned to the mountains tomorrow.

 

This didn’t stop a two-man break going up the road, but the peloton had little time to worry about the escape however with the constant threat of crosswinds making for nervous racing and resulting in several crashes. From 100km remaining however, the teams really started to pull at the front and upped the pace massively – so much so that when Tinkoff took the front, the pace was so high it caused a split in the peloton.

 

"We knew that it would be windy and in the direction to split it so we were up for a tough day, but for a lot of the stage there was a sense of false alarm with everyone looking at each other until we got near to the finish," explained Sport Director Sean Yates

 

This huge effort saw the gap drop massively and with 70km remaining, the gap was down to just 45 seconds and with 61km still to race, the break was caught. With such a high pace and strong winds buffeting the group, racing was hard, and shortly after the break was caught, a crash saw both Rafal Majka and Oscar Gatto go down. Luckily both were uninjured and able to rejoin the race.

 

The intermediate sprint saw the UCI World Champion take second and from here it was full gas to the finish. There was status quo until the 12km to go mark, where Sagan and Maciej Bodnar were joined by the yellow jersey and one of his teammates. Quickly building up a twenty second advantage, this was a powerful break with strong riders working together – with Bodnar particularly strong in holding the pace, fresh from his win in the Polish national TT championship race.

 

"The guys did a great job looking after Roman [Kreuziger] and riding at the front and then putting the hammer down late on," Yates continued. "On the race radio they called it a violent acceleration when Peter raised it up a notch and pulled away with the other three, and it was already full gas.

 

”Once they opened up the gap, they had four guys fully committed to make it stick. Once again Peter demonstrated that he's one of a kind, especially after yesterday's super hard stage, being up the road all day. He fully deserved that win, and he racked up a whole load more points for green today. Bodi was really strong and he always commits to the cause, so it was an ideal combination.  Fantastic demonstration by the team again today, we couldn't be happier with their performance."

 

While the fast men had thought a bunch sprint was guaranteed, they were denied by the Slovakian rider and his Polish compatriot, who took the win with ease, and Bodnar in third. Throughout the day the Tinkoff riders had controlled the stage, but it was at the finish where the team’s class really showed.

 

From the finish, Sagan couldn’t believe how the stage had turned out.

 

“It was something crazy what happened. I didn’t believe when we attacked that we could go. After Froomey and Geraint Thomas went with us I said ‘we are too strong; they will never catch us’. We just pulled very hard and made it happen. It’s unbelievable.

 

The surprise outcome made the stage easily one of the most exciting of the Tour so far – and as Sagan explained, it was completely unplanned.

 

“Today everybody knew it was a crazy wind, but the real crazy wind only came in the last 15km. There was no planning for the end, we knew to stay up front in position as the bunch would split. The bunch is going to split for sure. But to go in break with yellow and two guys like Bodnar and Thomas, you cannot plan that, it just happened.

 

“I hope everyone had fun today. I was hurting but enjoyed it too. I hope it was fun to at least watch. It was an improvised attack. I’m just really happy we made it to the finish. It just happened, we didn’t make any more calculations. We got a gap and then when we had five metres I looked back and decided to go for it. Then they came with us, all four of us worked like crazy.

 

"I was happy because I bet everything on an attack. I could have lost the green jersey because if they’d caught I wouldn’t have won the sprint but it worked out well."

 

The team’s owner, Oleg Tinkov, was full of praise for Sagan – taking the stage win in a way few other riders could match.

 

“As I said he is technically the best rider, and today we all saw it. He's the character and the showman, he's the best and I'm glad he's in my team. Peter did something today that not many riders in the peloton can do. It's also a relief for the team after we lost Contador. A second stage win is good for us and it keeps the spirit up. We hope to go for the KOM jersey although we will see how Rafal Majka feels after he fell today, but it's looking good.”

 

After a hard stage with strong winds, Sagan was thrilled with the support of his teammates, as well as the support he received in the breakaway.

 

“Today I'm very surprised and also very happy. We were trying all the time to be in the front and it was often dangerous with a lot of crashes and the wind was very dangerous. The last 12km was just decisive to do well. Thank you to Maciej Bodnar as he did a huge job, and also Chris Froome and Thomas as they were working with us to make the difference over the bunch.”

 

At the end of the stage, Sagan’s lead in the Maillot Vert contest was extended to 90 points.

 

“I am very happy – the green jersey, and the stage victory. Yesterday everybody was saying ‘are you frustrated?’ but I said I'm not and that I just look ahead each day. It was not planned at the end – it was in the moment, instinct. I bet everything on that attack as if the bunch caught us I wouldn't have any thing left. It was four very strong riders in the front, and it was a winning combination.

 

"In that situation, you don't have too enough breath to talk, you just say 'Go, go, go. It was a good group, with the yellow jersey. I was going for the stage, they were working to take seconds. It was unbelievable, it just happened. You cannot plan that. Yellow jersey and green jersey at the front, it's unbelievable how the breakaway was formed. It was a crazy days with wind and crashes.

 

“Thank you to Bodnar and also to Team Sky, because they worked with us. I'm very happy to win a stage that was maybe for sprinters. It was a crazy day, but for us it was very nice.

 

"Froome did everything to come with most time possible, and when Thomas was also dropped I thought maybe he wasn't going to sprint at all. I wanted Maciej to win, but afterwards Chris started to sprint from behind and I had to go with him. We were in the break to win the stage. Without our combination, the win would never have happened.

 

“I tried to ride in the break and turn it into success. Suddenly, I felt a little bad in the end, it was not all flat. I was not too good. It was endless. In a small descent, I suffered a bit. Maciej and continued to work.

 

"It's nice, but still the special one is maybe the first [stage win], and the second one was also nice. Another victory was three years ago, when we pulled with the whole team all the day dropped the sprinters and I won the sprint. Today was just something you cannot plan. It was just something special – the green jersey with the yellow jersey…

 

“I've won a lot in a nice way also out of the Tour de France. I'm very happy with the way I won this one with the help of Maciej Bodnar and Team Sky. It was a very nice change that people were working with me, usually nobody does. I thanked Froome after the finish. I always try to win differently. I won have won other races and not always in the sprint.

 

"Actually I felt good today. Today for sure it was not a boring stage from the start every moment you had to pay attention. Everybody expected we would split much earlier. But in the end, it was the right moment and things just happened.

 

"Tomorrow will be six kilometres less, yeah? Nice. But there'll be wind before Ventoux too, so it will be a crazy stage tomorrow as well. And good luck to Froomey, because he did a very big effort today. I hope he hasn't used a lot of energy for tomorrow. Tomorrow I hope for me will be, well not a rest day, but one to take easy.

 

“Today we're not actors, we're artists! I hope people have fun watching me racing, while I was just suffering doing that.”

 

Chris Froome: Knowing how Quintana is in the third week, I have to grab every opportunity

Chris Froome sprinted to second place on stage 11 at the Tour de France after crosswinds set up a wild finish into Montpellier.

 

The peloton became fractured and split under the intense pressure of the blustery run-in, with Froome powering across a gap with 12 kilometres to go.

 

After a titanic effort from teammate Geraint Thomas to join him, Froome combined alongside Tinkoff duo Peter Sagan and Maciej Bodnar to take six seconds out of the chasing pack at the line.

 

With Sagan using his superior turn of speed to secure the stage, Froome sprinted to collect a further six bonus seconds, extending his race lead out to 28 seconds.

 

Team Sky stepped up to the plate on a tricky 162.5km stage with the wind providing a constant threat. The pace fluctuated in the peloton but Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe, Thomas and Vasil Kiryienka all put their horsepower to use to help drill it on the front, positioning Froome perfectly in the process.

 

After climbing off the podium Froome said: "I was asking myself the question today in those last 10km of whether it was worth spending that energy. I think in this moment I really am going to try and take any advantage I can get - especially knowing that Nairo (Quintana) in particular is really strong in the third week. If I can take any seconds at this point, I will.

 

"I would say that I’m loving what I’m doing. I’m really enjoying being in the yellow jersey again. This is the dream scenario for me. This is bike racing at its best is good for the GC riders to take the race on even on flat stages like this. The Tour de France is a different race track every day and my idea is to make the best of my ability. I certainly feel like I'm enjoying it. I'm not being forced into this because of pressure. I think, as a team, we are working really well together. They guys were up front all day in the right position, so when that move did go with Peter Sagan, I was in the perfect place to go after him.

 

"I can’t believe what happened out there. It was really difficult day but I relied on my teammates all day and they were always at the front and that allowed me to go with Sagan at the end.”

 

With news coming through that Thursday's 12th stage would not climb all the way to Mont Ventoux due to high winds, Froome explained:

 

"To be honest I don't think it changes too much. The climb up until Chalet Reynard is extremely hard already. It's another 200+ kilometre stage tomorrow with a lot of wind predicted. It could even be split to pieces before the climb. I really don't know what to expect tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see, but if anything I think it's going to mean an even more intense race before we hit the climb because it's slightly shorter. It will not be easier than if we had gone to the top. And I congratulate the organizers to favor the safety of the riders.

 

"Let's see what happens. There's really strong winds forecast, so that could play a part even before we reach the climb. We have to be switched on and ready for anything."

 

"To win on a Mont Ventoux stage is something special but, certainly, at the back of our minds will be the time trial the next day.  Whoever goes really deep on Ventoux will pay for it the day after so I think any consecutive GC day you have to be thinking about the day afterwards and what any big efforts will cost you for the next day. Everything i based on the tactics. I have the TT in mind but what I do, I do it for pleasure. Today I must say that this stage will be a great experience. Maybe my rivals will try to take seconds on me on the Ventoux, everyone has a tactic, but I'll keep the time trial in mind.”

 

Geraint Thomas: Boy that was hard

Thomas, who was consumed by the bunch in the final metres, had a front row seat for the late attack and explained:

 

"I was surprised as well. Sagan was just motoring. When they went, Froomey responded straightaway and behind him there was a gap, so I got up to him straightaway. I looked behind and there was a gap. I got across to them. It was full gas.

 

"We were at the front all day, staying out of trouble and waiting for something to go. Then Sagan and Bodnar just went and that was it. We got a gap and on the radio we heard we had 15, 20 seconds. So we just committed then. But boy that was hard!"

 

Sergio Henao was also present in the crosswind shake up and moved up to seventh place overall, 56 seconds back on Froome.

 

Dave Brailsford told Eurosport:

 

"I think the guys are a mature bunch now and in those situations you have to concentrate. It’s all about being in position and feeling it and they can deliver now. They deliver for themselves, obviously, in the one-day races and we try to bring that a little bit into the race. Obviously we managed to just get on with it.

 

”To see G and Froome there at the front with Sagan, who was super strong. Sagan was super strong, you’ve got to say he was at a different level wasn’t he? But it's exciting isn’t it and that's what we're trying to do, to win a race, and instead of just waiting waiting, waiting we’re racing. Who knows what it’s going to bring us? We might win the race, we might not, but we’ll try and we’ll race hard all the way to Paris."

 

Alexander Kristoff: I was not strong enough to bridge the gap

Sad day for Team Katusha in the Tour de France. Alexander Kristoff was the fastest sprinter – unfortunately behind a surprise break of four riders. Joaquim Rodriguez lost 43 seconds and Jurgen Van den Broeck fractured his shoulder in a crash.

 

The story of the day was wind, wind and more wind for the 11th stage of the 103rd Tour de France. With 12km to go, the yellow and green jersey wearers seized the moment to gap off the peloton struggling with the wind, resulting in a second stage win in the points jersey for Peter Sagan and a time gain for the general classification for Chris Froome. Team Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff was trying to get on terms with the four men in front, but ended up leading home the chasers and winning the sprint from the peloton for fourth place.

 

“It was a stressful day, but I felt good and Jacopo Guarnieri was with me all day, keeping me and Purito Rosdriguez safe. At the end Sagan and Froome and the others went away and no one was strong enough to close them back. I really tried. At one moment I was in the middle there but I could not move up and that was a pity because I saw that the move was dangerous. I still had the hope that it would come back because Greipel and Kittel were still there so for sure their teams still wanted to pull. But nobody had the power to bring them back. It was surprising to see Froome but he was strong and his group was strong with Sagan plus they had some helpers. For sure they worked full gas all the way together. It was a pity I did not manage to get up there. I think I could have fought for the victory, but that’s life. I was really not strong enough to bridge up,” said team leader Alexander Kristoff.

 

“Alex was the first in the peloton. Everyone knew with 5k to go it was very dangerous with crosswinds and this attack from Froome. We did not expect this attack but I think everyone always has to pay attention and stayed focused for such things as these. Of course no one is happy. Purito lost 43-seconds today and is out of the top ten. He was bad positioned in the peloton when the bunch slowed down a little after it was fast all day. He was in the middle for a little bit of recovery and then this attack happened and the peloton split in front of him. It happened fast. There are still many mountains ahead of us so we do not change our tactics at this point,” said team director José Azevedo.

 

Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez slipped to twelfth place at 1:52.

 

Jurgen Van den Broeck abandons the Tour with broken shoulder

Team KATUSHA’s Jurgen Van den Broeck will not start any more in stage 12 of the 2016 Tour de France. Van den Broeck crashed in the beginning of stage 11 on his right shoulder. He finished the stage but afterwards an impactation fracture of the greater tuberosity of the right shoulder was diagnosed.

 

"It was really nervous in the beginning. I was fighting for my position in the bunch. After a left corner something went wrong for another rider. He touched my front wheel, I flipped over my bike. I did not panic immediately as initially it felt like an ordinary crash, but when I started to ride again my shoulder was hurting a lot. After the stage x-rays confirmed that the shoulder is broken. That’s a hard verdict for me. The doctors tell me the fracture needs some weeks to heal, but I will need more time to recover mentally as I had already a lot of bad luck in my career. It hurts me a lot not to be able to help Team KATUSHA in the mountains," said an emotionalJurgen Van den Broeck.

 

Jurgen Van den Broeck finished 3rd and 4th Overall in Tour de France 2010 and 2012.

 

"The start was nervous," said a clearly frustrated Jurgen Van den Broeck told Sporza."Someone hit my front wheel and together with three others I hit the ground on my shoulder. I had pain all day and knew something was wrong. I knew my collarbone was not broken and I had hoped for a bruise. But apparently it’s worse.

 

"I've asked if I could continue with this fracture that’s not the medical advice. I could also not stand on the pedals during the stage and they told me that this will not improve in the coming days. It made no sense to continue."

 

"I'm not really spared from bad luck in the Tour de France," he said. "It gives me a lot of pain and I can hardly handle it. I was not doing the GC and I came here to work. I did my thing and then this happens in such a stupid way. Now I can not do more for the team which is particularly frustrating. Now I am back on  the ground. I must return to rehabilitation again.

 

“The doctor predicted that I should stay about three weeks off the bike. It heals naturally without surgery. It's always bad luck if you crash in the Tour. I had survived the first week well, and then I have this. Sorry, but this really sucks. "

 

Bauke Mollema: I am pleased to gain time on Rodriguez and Meintjes

It was all about the wind in stage 11 at the Tour de France Wednesday. On paper, it was a traditional sprint stage, but the crosswinds turned the tables, creating echelons and leaving panicked riders behind. When the road turned, and the wind directions changed, calmness would return, but not for long.

 

Just as a group would catch back onto the peloton, the road curved, and all hell broke loose again. For the riders, it was stressful, dangerous, and extremely fatiguing.

 

Even though the classics specialists Fabian Cancellara, Jasper Stuyven, Markel Irizar and Gregory Rast were in their element - Bauke Mollema was in the best possible hands - it was not an easy work day. The team's big engines had to dig deep and use all their resources in keeping Mollema safe.

 

After a nerve-wracking 162.5 kilometers, Mollema crossed the line with the peloton to move into 5th overall.

 

"It was a hectic day, from kilometer one!" said Mollema. "I'm happy that I survived today, thanks to my teammates. At the end, I told Fabian and Rasty to pull and suddenly Sagan goes like a rocket! I didn't get into troubles today, but it was stressful.

 

"I was always good and always in the first group. I'm glad this is over and I surived the day well. When I heard that Rodriguez was behind, I said to the guys: just keep riding. He also loses a lot of time, so that's nice. And Meintjes also. So that's a good day. "

 

Jasper Stuyven: It was fun

The yellow and green jersey, each with a teammate, attacked off the front in the crosswind in the final 14 kilometers and held a slim advantage to the line to contest the stage. A tired peloton arrived seconds later and sprinted for the minor places. Stuyven was at the front for most of the windy parcours, and in the sprint to the line had enough left in the tank to finish in 6th place (3rd from the bunch).

 

"I liked today!" laughed Stuyven. "We were in the front taking care of Bauke, keeping him safe when the echelons were there, and we never had problems. I liked it; it was fun. The only problem was it was hard to stay hydrated since the care were behind and it was a pretty hot day. At the end, I needed some water.

 

"I thought the sprinters' teams would pull [Froome, Sagan] back because there were still there with a lot of guys, but it appeared to be a hard day for everyone. I made a good sprint at the end; we did not sprint for first, but it was nice to be up there again."

 

"It was a great day and I sprinted well. There are still more stages. I'm happy with how it is now.”

 

Edward Theuns goes down in windy drama

Edward Theuns, a victim of a crash in the early part of the race, missed out playing with the classics team in the action-packed stage. Theuns, another specialist in windy conditions, would have enjoyed being in the mix, but instead was nursing the after-effects of the crash.

 

Theuns said:

 

"I was good in the front until a corner that I missed a bit and found myself at the back where there was one crash after another. There was a crash, and everyone braked really hard. I also braked but could not stop fast enough and went into another rider.

 

"After that, I was hurting –my knee hurt a bit.  I could stay in the first echelon for a long time, but the whole time I was sitting in the back. I was not so good anymore after the crash, so it was not a nice day.

 

"I was right up front. After 25 kilometers I missed a turn. I braked hard, like many other riders. But I rode intp somebody, got caught in someone's wheel and before I knew it, I was on the ground.

 

"It is annoying, but it is not serious. Only those knee hurts a little, but to stat tomorrow will not be a problem. Thursday will not be easy but it is what it is. Mentally I was a little broken after that crash, but crashes are part of the Tour. That's just annoying, but all in all I still have to be happy that I suffered no fractures. "

 

Mechanical takes Mark Cavendish out of contention

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were doing well to keep their sprint ace Mark Cavendish protected and positioned right up behind the yellow jersey all stage.  Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Bernhard Eisel were always in close proximity to Cavendish, with the quartet not once being caught out in the wind. With 10km to go, everything was looking good for a big bunch sprint and the African Team were hoping Cavendish could pick up his 4th stage win of this year’s race. Just when everyone thought a bunch sprint was assured, the world champion, Sagan, tried one last time to split the race in the wind. Bodnar, Froome and Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) joined this opportunistic attack with 8km left to race.

 

As this 4 rider move pushed out a 10 second lead, Eisel went to the head of the peloton to contribute to the chase. Before the Austrian powerhouse could even do a proper turn on the front though, disaster struck for the African Team as Cavendish was taking out of contention when another rider rode into him, breaking his rear gearing mechanism. Plan B then had to be put into action with Boasson Hagen and Janse van Rensburg relying on other teams to bring the late escape back before sprinting for a top result.

 

There was just too much fire power in the lead quartet though and they would not be stopped from deciding the stage, 6 seconds ahead of the peloton. After Thomas sat up in the final few meters, the best position on offer was 4th place and Boasson Hagen did will to take 7th on the line and Janse van Rensburg placed 11th.

 

Sports director Roger Hammond said:

 

“The guys were looking really good, with Mark always in the front. He said he was feeling good and seemed to be on a really good day but then somebody hit him on the rear mech. He got stuck in the 15 and the rear mech stopped working, so with 5km to go it was too late to change bikes and too late to do anything about it. It’s unfortunate but it’s one of the things about bunch sprinting, you don’t need good luck but you just don’t need bad luck and today we had a bit of bad luck.”

 

"Yeah, shit happens I guess. At least I didn't get beaten; that's the positive that I can take from it. The group went, we went to the front, Bernie went straight up and I was moving up and with gears and cross winds it's just a bit choppy, and I hit my rear mech on someone's wheel. I don't know if it was my fault or if it was theirs, it's irrelevant really.

 

"My rear mech stopped working. I don't know if the electronic thing came out, or I broke the springs or something, but it wouldn't go lower than 15. You can't even keep up at 70k an hour like that. Obviously, with the bunch in pieces, there was no car behind to change my bike. That was it.

 

"They weren't that far ahead when that happened. When it happened to me, Bernie and Edvald stopped pulling.

 

"When the group went, I got by alright. But then someone touched my crank and I got blocked on a gear. It's really a shame but it's the way it is. We knew it was going to happen. The green jersey was not my objective anyway. There are not lots of riders who can beat Sagan. He's a rider like no other.

 

"Froome has ridden quite an aggressive Tour actually. Fair play, like. It's quite good for the race to see the yellow jersey and the green jersey go up the road like that."

 

"Where I was it didn't really split up. I thought that we were in quite a big bunch, I didn't realise that it was splitting up so much behind. At one point, I thought that I would have a breather, and I went a few lines back, and I was already at the back. I thought, Christ it is pretty windy.

 

André Greipel: It’s another missed opportunity

André Greipel was eighth.

 

“I can’t be happy today, because I had hoped for a bunch sprint and a stage win and that didn’t happen,” he said. “With the team we tried to stay concentrated all day long. With twelve kilometres to go the four strongest riders got away. Sagan and Froome had a teammate with them, we couldn’t do anything about it anymore, even though all sprint teams sacrificed all their riders. Our efforts weren’t enough to catch them. This is another chance that has gone, I can only keep hoping.”

 

IAM with two youngsters in the top 10 on windy Tour day

Sondre Holst Enger (9th) and Oliver Naesen (10th) secured two great places in the top-10 after surviving a nervous and fast stage. IAM Cycling was in fact visibly active on the roads of Languedoc all day.

 

Rik Verbrugghe, the sports manager for the Swiss World Tour team said:

 

“With Leigh Howard strong in the break for over 100 kilometers, and two places in the top-10 with Sondre Holst Enger Oliver Naesen, I dare say that the guys fulfilled their contracts for the day.”

 

“I can be satisfied with this 9th place since I’m sitting right behind the cream of the sprint world crop.  And the whole day was super nervous,” Sondre Holst Enger explained after netting his third top-10 of this, his first, Tour de France.


 

“I managed to place Sondre in the best position possible,” Oliver Naesen commented. “Then I just hung on and remained in the leading group with all the sprinters. Snatching a place in the top-10 for my first Tour de France is a satisfying accomplishment.”

 

Leigh Howard, who was in the day’s break along with Arthur Vichot (FDJ) for over100 kilometers, said:

 

“I’m not really on top of my game for this Tour de France, but I will still seek to grab every opportunity to put myself at the front.”

 

John Degenkolb: I am improving every day

Team Giant-Alpecin managed to not be caught out by the cross-winds and there were always well positioned at the front. John Degenkolb finished in 12th place in the second group, followed by Warren Barguil in 32nd place.

 

John Degenkolb said: “It was a very hectic and fast stage from the beginning. Throughout the day, there was a constant tailwind, therefore, we had to be well positioned at the front of the peloton. Overall I had good legs during the stage. I am constantly improving day by day and I am confident and happy in my shape for the upcoming stages.”

 

Warren Barguil: I enjoy these stages

Warren Barguil said after the stage: “For me it has been a great day, I enjoy stages where we need to stay concentrated all day and I had the whole team supporting me. It has been a long time since I have raced with John and it was good to rediscover that relationship of cycling next to each again.

 

“I didn’t lose any time, I enjoy the crosswinds and there were few but only at the back of the peloton. I have good legs, now we will see tomorrow and on Friday with the time trial what will happen.”

 

Coach Marc Reef added: “It was a very nervous day, there was a lot of wind, especially tailwind. We knew that it could be a really important day for the GC, therefore, we had to protect Warren which we did in a good way. In the finale, we both had John and Warren in a good position so it was a very good day for the team and we have improved a lot.

 

“It was a surprise attack at the end, I’m surprised that the teams weren’t in a position to immediately react to it. For us, it is not the biggest point but it’s more for the other teams that they let the break stay away to the finish.”

 

Dylan Groenewegen and Sep Vanmarcke: Today we were not good enough
The wind dominated stage 11 of the Tour de France to Montpellier. The peloton broke several times and world champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) won from a small move of four with race leader Chris Froome (Sky). Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to 13th behind the winning group of four.

 

"It was a hectic day, even in villages the peloton suffered in the cross-winds,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said after the 163 kilometres between Carcassonne and Montpellier. “The peloton split up several times and we always had right people in the front.

 

"We were hoping for a small group that could fight in the sprint, but then the attack of four men was a surprise. They were four of the strongest riders, so it was difficult to get it back. Together with the other teams, we tried, but unfortunately, we arrived too late. "

 

"You expect that it is going to be echelons in the finale, but not that those four men would attack,” Groenewegen added. “I had expected and hoped that we would be sprinting with a small group. The four men attacked and we put our team a little earlier in front. It is our own fault that we were not sharp enough at that time.

 

“Maarten Wynants put me up front and then I let myself drift back slightly. At 450 metres, I was alone, but that was because we were already in the front before. We rode a good race, only the result is not super."

 

”We may not have paid attention 100 percent and that is our own fault. I tried to sprint but I could not. The result is not super.”

 

"It was war the whole day,” explained Sep Vanmarcke. "It was surprising that the split happened just then. We sat perfectly as a team in position and I assumed the sprinters’ teams would control the race.”

 

He just missed the split with Sagan.

 

“All day, I sit near Sagan and then it happens and I'm not there. That's frustrating. At that time, I was ready to prepare the sprint with Dylan."

 

Early in the stage, George Bennett crashed. He suffered bruises, but he quickly got back on his bike and said that he is OK now.

 

Adam Yates: A shorter climb is better for me

Adam Yates leader of the Tour de France best young rider category finished in 15th place for Orica-BikeExchange on stage 11 today, holding on to his white jersey and second place overall.

 

Crashes peppered the start of a dangerous, tense and windy stage that saw the field split on many occasions before finally coming back together in the last 30kilometres and Yates up near the front third of the peloton.

 

With ten kilometres to go a stage winning by move Green Jersey Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) was followed by race leader Christopher Froome (Team-Sky) with the pair eventually duking it out in the sprint won by Sagan.

 

Yates reacted well and was part of the first group of chasers who contested the top ten, crossing the line in 15th place, six seconds behind the stage winner and holding onto second on the general classification.

 

White jersey holder Yates is 28seconds behind Froome ahead of tomorrow’s tough stage 12, which tackles the monstrous Mont Ventoux and arguably the most brutal summit finish in cycling. Sport director

 

“In the finale, Team Sky set straight away they were going to give a go,” he said. “Fortunately I had big strong guys like Matthew Hayman to keep me out of the wind. Hats off to Froome and Sagan for what they have done. I expected guys to attack but I didn't expect Froome to be one of them. The way he takes seconds every day, he'll be hard to beat [for anyone]. Tomorrow I'll just do my things. If I'm on a good day, I'll ride at the front.

 

"Sky set a fast pace. With the tailwind, it was extremely difficult to catch them It was a day where there was no rest.

 

"It was not a bad stage for me. I got through today without having had a problem. Mathew Hayman and Chris' Juul Jensen protected me perfectly. We lost a few seconds anyway in the end ... and Froome, who will win the Tour anyway, saw an opportunity. So congratulations to him. Congratulations to Peter Sagan did an incredible peformance.

 

"I’ve never gone up the Ventoux, even in training. If it is shorter, in all cases it will be better for me. 20 kilometers or something like that is very hard. So if it shorter, it will be less hard for me. But it's the same for everyone.”

 

Matt White was happy for the team to come through the stage unscathed and in one-piece ahead of stage 12.

 

“It was a very nerve-racking stage today,” said White. “There was a lot of tension in the peloton because of the strong wind and the road furniture which caused a few crashes in the early part of the race.

 

”I am happy that the team all came through unscathed and without any issues. Adam (Yates) has a strong group of big guys around him and we didn’t have any problems today.

 

”Not a lot of riders gained time today but there were a few who lost a little bit and we are in a good position ahead of tomorrow’s stage up to Mont Ventoux.

 

“It’s a big test and we are excited about the challenge, everyone knows that Ventoux is a tough climb and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

 

Disappointed Nairo Quintana: The stage was too dangerous

It was the most dangerous and nervous day so far in the 2016 Tour de France… and Nairo Quintana got through it way better than he did on the fateful stage two of 2015. Only twelve seconds were conceded by the Colombian from the Movistar Team - him and all GC contenders - to Chris Froome (SKY) at Montpellier’s finish, following a stage eleven (163km starting at Carcassonne) full of direction changes, narrow roads, splits and crashes due to sidewinds.

 

The telephone squad, which kept Quintana well covered until the final 15km with Oliveira, Erviti, the Izagirre brothers, Anacona, Moreno and even Alejandro Valverde, struggled due to the lack of feeding and the constant, hard pacing - just like with all big guns - as a four-man group full of horsepower formed in late crosswinds with Peter Sagan, Maciej Bodnar (both TNK), race leader Froome and team-mate Geraint Thomas (SKY). Their move reached even half a minute over the bunch, a margin reduced to just 6" in the final sprint, 12" combined with the bonus with Froome obtained as second over the line, behind Sagan.

 

The gap, more important on the mental side than from a sporting view, leaves Nairo Quintana at 35” behind the yellow jersey (4th), on a day when Alejandro Valverde gained two places back to jump into eighth, 1'13" down. The wind didn’t only create chaos today, but also forced the organisers to shorten Thursday’s finish in the Mont Ventoux: the race will finish at the Chalet-Reynard, after 10km uphill following a 178km with only two more rated climbs before the reduced ‘Giant of Provence.’

 

Nairo Quintana said:

 

“We got safely through probably the hardest day so far for me in this Tour. It was a flat route of course, where even sprint and classics specialists suffered and lost an opportunity to fight for the stage win, and we all spent lots of energy, even Froome -he knew how to take chances fruitfully again today.

 

"We all spent a similar amount of energy, but he took advantage and seized that moment and took some seconds but I want to remain positive. However, I can’t help but think we were only lucky today not to see many crashes, and that because the race organisers often don’t think about the riders. They go for different styles of spectacle, but they don’t care about the danger we face on some stages. We were risking our lives all the time - stages like this should have another thought before going through.

 

“Let’s see what happens tomorrow - it’s sad we won’t be able to get over the Ventoux: it’s a beautiful climb, one that really suits my characteristics, one very different to today. There’s nothing decided yet, though: the GC keeps being sorted but there’s still a lot remaining, with plenty of mountains and the two time trials.”

 

Manager Eusebio Unzue told Cyclingnews.

 

"As always, losing time is not what we want but looking at this incomprehensible route - which seems hard to believe, honestly - which made us pass through the series of towns that we did, on top of that wind, racing with the risks that entails to riders, to the public.

 

"Today all the guys agreed – they weren't able to eat, they were barely able to drink. There was a level of stress and tension that probably made it the most difficult stage of the whole Tour. At the end of the day for the spectacle it’s good but really for those who have so many interests in the peloton, it's a big problem.

 

"I prefer to lose 12 seconds and see all the riders alive, without crashes or problems and able to continue," he said bluntly.

 

"Alone? No - at every moment we were where we were able to put ourselves," said Alejandro Valverde. "From start to finish it was a day of so much tension, and we limited the damage as best as possible, and did pretty well to come away without crashes – we're all unscathed. We did what we could because it was a really tough stage.

 

"It's a shame but the fight was intense. However, the loss to Chris Froome is not huge. If we have not chased it is because we couldn’t. Everyone did what he could, we limited the damage as we could. Now the mountain stages come.”

 

Emanuel Buchmann: I don’t like windy stages

Bora-Argon 18's plan was to work for Shane Archbold and Sam Bennett, who feels better and better every day.

 

But from the beginning there was a very strong crosswind and the race was very frantic and there were many crashes during the day. From Bora-Argon 18 once Cesare Benedetti was involved, but he could come back without problems.

 

Sam Bennett could not stay in touch with the peloton in the final. The team supported Shane Archbold, who finished in 19th place today's stage.

 

Because of the support of his Bora-Argon 18 teammates, Emanuel Buchmann and Patrick Konrad got to the finish in the 2nd group and lost just one minute to the stage winner. In the GC Buchmann moved up to 22nd place which means also the 5th place in the young rider classification where Patrick Konrad takes the 8th place after 11 stages.

 

“Today it was a very fast and nervous stage. The field was split in many groups and there were many crashes. My teammates supported my great today and I got to the finish line one minute behind the winner. I don’t like windy races, my teammates and I did the best to limit losses today,” said Emanuel Buchmann

 

“It was a pretty fast day and the last few kilometres were crazy and hectic. Bartosz [Huzarski] and Paul [Voss] did a good job today and always brought me in a good position. But when the peloton split in the final I didn’t have a good position and the sprint was just for 5th place,” said Shane Archbold

 

Richie Porte: Maybe Sky will pay for this later

Strong crosswinds and a blistering pace made for a stressful day of racing on stage 11 of the Tour de France, which saw Richie Porte and Tejay van Garderen cross the line in the significantly-reduced peloton six seconds behind stage winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff).

 

What was originally predicted to be a day for the sprinters turned into a day of crashes and echelons, after which Porte and van Garderen credited their teammates for protecting them throughout the stage.

 

BMC Racing Team’s riders spent the day at the front of the peloton to control the race in the ever-changing conditions and stay out of trouble.

 

Riders crossed the finish line in multiple groups which sees van Garderen move into ninth place in the General Classification. BMC Racing Team continues to lead the Team Classification, 6’34” in front of Movistar Team.

 

Richie Porte said:

 

“It wasn’t just in the final, but the whole day [that the team looked after us]. It was so stressful and from kilometer 0 it was just shoulder to shoulder all day. The legs aren’t too bad. Obviously when Chris Froome and the other guys skipped off it was just carnage. But I felt good, comfortable, and I’m just really looking forward to the mountains again. I guess Team Sky are taking time wherever they can get it but tomorrow’s a different day and they may have to pay for their effort that they did there too.”

 

Tejay van Garderen added:

 

“To be honest I don’t even really know what happened. The wind makes it crazy and stressful and I’m just glad to survive. It was an impressive ride by Chris Froome. But you don’t look back, you just look forward. I got tangled up a bit in one of the crashes but I dind’t go down thankfully. I had to chase back but Marcus Burghardt waited for me and I got back with no real issues. With 40 kilometer an hour winds we knew it was going to be a crazy day and I’m just glad to make it through.”

 

Michael Schär said:

 

“These days with the wind are really the worst of the whole Tour de France. The first week you expect it to be nervous but then between the Pyrenees and the Alpes you think you have a sprinters’ stage but it’s anything else than that. We stayed up there and it was good. I didn’t stop once all day, we were up there fighting for position the whole time and at the end it was ok.”

 

Fabio Aru: I will try to come up with something later

One of the most experienced riders of the Tour de France peloton defends the colours of the Astana Pro Team: Paolo Tiralongo, 39 years old. H has spent 17 years as a professional cyclist.

 

“I knew this stage could be very difficult: I have spoken about it with my team mates for many days,” explained Tiralongo after the finish. “I’ve ridden in this area many times and I knew the wind is always very strong… As a team, I think we have ridden pretty well, keeping our captain in the front group and avoiding all the crashes that involved many riders.

 

“Since the race route presentation I thought this could be one of the most dangerous stages for the GC contenders. Many people were continuing to say that today’s stage should have only been a ‘transfer’ stage: I kept my team mates calm but I continued to warn them about the potential risk of the strong wind, in fact it went as I imagined…

 

“Anyway, I think we can be satisfied with today, now we have to focus on tomorrow’s uphill finish to Mont Ventoux, even if we will do it just to Chalet Reynard.”

 

Fabio Aru told Eurosport:

 

"It was a tough stage for a lot of us but the team helped me a lot. I hope Luis Leon Sanchez is okay after his crash. He's an important rider for us.

 

"Today, like on other days, I had a great team. Nibali, Fulgsang and Grivko were with me and they gave me a big hand. I thank the team because thanks to them I was in front.

 

”I’m not surprised what Froome did. He has won the Tour twice, so it's no surprise. We'll try to come up with something later in the race. There's a lot of racing to come yet."

 

Daniel Martin: Tony Martin saved me

For Etixx – Quick-Step, it was a day in which the team had two goals: to help and lead Marcel Kittel if it came down to a massive sprint and to protect Daniel Martin. Unfortunately, the crazy nature of this eventful stage meant a bunch gallop wasn't on the cards anymore, but the team still had reasons to smile after the stage, as the Irishman finished with the elite group and kept his third place in the overall standings, just half a minute adrift.

 

"The guys did a fantastic job to keep me at the front and I came through this extremely tough stage. We showed again that we have a very strong team. With 15 kilometers to go, things became totally crazy, but Tony saved me at that point and rode five kilometers in the wind for me. I lost some time on Froome, but so did everybody else, and to be quite frankly it's a small gap, not the end of the world", said Dan Martin, before talking of tomorrow stage, which will not go all the way to the top of Mont Ventoux, but instead will be six kilometers shorter, because of the strong winds.

 

"Actually, the hardest part of Mont Ventoux comes before Chalet-Reynard, where the stage will now conclude, so I still expect a tough stage. It's a pity that we will not get to climb to the top of this iconic ascent, as we all dream about it, but this is how things are."

 

Marcel Kittel: There will be other opportunities

At the start of the day, Marcel Kittel was targeting a second stage victory at this year's Tour de France, but the extreme crosswinds made a bunch gallop impossible. Despite missing on the chance to contest for the win in Montpellier, the 28-year-old remained upbeat at the finish:

 

"It was another hard day at the office. The pace was relentless and the fight for positioning really intense, as everybody wanted to get a place at the front. The guys kept me protected and worked hard to take care of me and Dan, who's doing a very good GC. Going into the last kilometers, Peter launched that attack which surprised the whole bunch, Froome responded, and as soon as they took 10 meters, it became obvious that it will be very difficult to bring back such a strong group. It's a pity, but the Tour is still long and other chances will come."

 

Romain Bardet: It was a complicated stage

“It was a complicated day but it went well,” said Romain Bardet. “I did not lost time but it was exhausting, mentally and physically. The team remained attentive with Jan (Bakelants) and Mikael (Cherel). They protected me very well all day, which allowed me to reach the finish safely. 
 

”The sensations are good. Now we wait for the mountains.

 

“It's a shame that the stage has been shortened because the Ventoux is a myth and I would have liked to climb to the top. But from Bedoin to Chalet Reynard it remains a very difficult climb. If the organizers have taken this decision, I respect it. It is useless to put the safety of the riders and the public at risk.”

 

Today Bardet was selected for the Olympics.

 

“To participate in the Olympics and wear the colors of France makes me very proud. This is a fabulous event that transcends the world of sport. I am especially pleased because the spots were particularly difficult to get this year, and it’s a selective course

 

“The French team will be very competitive. We are the first outsiders, aiming to bring a medal. The Olympics marked the summers of my youth. Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 ... Just before Beijing (2008), I participated in the European Championships and received a tracksuit which I proudly wore in front of the TV while watching the events. Being able to participate in Rio is a great opportunity.

 

Louis Meintjes laments time loss on windy stage in France

 

Louis Meintjes reached the finish in the third chasing group at 1’09”. In the overall classification, he’s 13th at 2’10”.

 

“It’s a pity I lost these seconds, especially because my team mates and I did the whole day long paying huge attention and succeeding in avoiding troubles,” Meintjes explained. “We were aware of the dangers of the stage, especially of the one caused by the wind.

 

“It’s not easy to race in these conditions but we did it quite well until the attack by Sagan and Froome. The bunch had slowed down after having covered the previous kilometers at a very high pace, the level of attention was a little bit lower and so the bunch got split. I’ll try to take back what I lost today on the next climbs.”

 

We had a crazy day,” his teammate Rui Costa wrote in his diary. “Wind, danger, crasjes ... And tomorrow promises to be worse. We expects gusts of 100km/h on Mont Ventoux and, therefore, the stage will be shortened. Today gusts caused havoc in the peloton. The peloton of almost 200 riders was split into several groups.  Many thought it would be a sprint stage, but the wind blew the race apart for the sprinters. 

 

“Early in the stage, two riders got away and they were not dangerous for the mountains classification so I did not try to follow them. Furthermore, only 2 points were on offer. I was alert to danger and fortunately did not crash. When there was a crash with Majka, I was at the end of the pack, with the cars. I had gone to the car to get water for my teammates and so I did not fall. I managed to finish this 11th stage without hitting the ground.”

 

Thibaut Pinot: There was no reason to take risks

Thibaut Pinot said:

 

“Physically, I have no consequence from that crash. It happened early but everything after has been difficult. It was very risky. On those roads there wasn't space for everyone. After I crashed, there was no reason to take risks, it was more important to bring Sébastien Reichenbach back in the right group.

 

”Peter Sagan is the world's best rider at the moment, far ahead of any of us because he goes well on all the terrains! So he deserves to win today. As for myself, I hope to enjoy riding with the polka dot jersey on the Mont Ventoux. I'll have to remain well positioned before the climb.”