Jonas Vingegaard won the 11th stage of the Tour de France, while Tadej Pogacar’s attempt to distance his main rival for the yellow flag failed in the Massif Central.
In Le Lioran there was a final sprint between the two, but for once Pogacar came out on top in this scenario as defending champion Vingegaard won by half a bike length.
This came after Vingegaard had regained the 30-second lead that Pogacar had built up following his attack at the Pas de Peyrol, about 30 kilometers from the finish of this 211-kilometer stage from Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran.
Vingegaard remains third in the overall standings after Remco Evenepoel fought his way to the finish line and defended second place, but the win shows the Dane is on form in his first race since his horrific crash in the Basque Country in April.
The 27-year-old, who had survived a ruptured lung as well as broken ribs and collarbone in recent months, shed tears after the stage.
“Of course it’s very, very emotional for me,” said Vingegaard. “Coming back after the accident means a lot to me. All the things I’ve been through in the last few months make you think about it, and I would never have been able to do it without my family…
“I couldn’t follow (Pogacar’s) attack, he was very, very strong and I just had to fight. I didn’t think I would make it back but I just kept fighting and made it back. I was a bit surprised that I could beat him in the sprint but of course that means so much to me.
“I never would have thought three months ago that I would be able to do this.”
Pogacar was able to extend his lead in yellow and is now 66 seconds ahead of Evenepoel, with Vingegaard a further eight seconds behind.
Jai Hindley was the best-placed Australian, finishing 10 minutes and 45 seconds behind in 25th place. He is also the country’s best-placed overall rider, finishing 19th, 17 minutes and 23 seconds behind.
The second longest stage of the Tour was originally planned for a breakaway, but Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates had other plans. A small group, including Irishman Ben Healy and Scotsman Oscar Onley, took 80 kilometers to break away, but they never got the chance to open up a gap.
600 metres from the summit of the category 1 Peyrol, Pogacar attacked and was quickly able to leave his rivals behind.
But Vingegaard, who left Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic behind, was able to catch the Slovenian. As the finish line approached, Pogacar stayed on the Dane’s rear wheel until the last 150 m, but did not have the strength to catch up.
Roglic crashed on the final stretch into the city, but was later awarded the same time as Evenepoel because the accident happened in the final three kilometers.