Tour de France Stage 11 preview: Sprinters set for another chance in Nevers

A flat 161.3-km route from Vichy to Nevers should end in a bunch sprint before the race heads into a tougher stretch of climbing The post Tour de France Stage 11 preview: Sprinters set for another chance in Nevers appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .

The fastmen get a shot Wednesday at the Tour de France, and they should enjoy it...as soon they will be riding in the gruppetto again–the hills are comin’! The sprinters should get a shot as Stage 11 takes the peloton 161.3 kilometres from Vichy to Nevers, where another bunch finish appears to be on the menu for the boys doing their little ride around France Stage 11 of the Tour de France After a sort of tough opening half of the race, the route offers little to encourage anyone going for a break.

That doesn’t mean the usual suspects won’t try, but most likely the sprinters’ teams will make sure it all comes together Aside from an intermediate sprint after just under 30 km and two short Category 4 climbs, the profile is almost entirely crêpe -flat. Unless crosswinds or crashes disrupt the race, the sprint teams should have little trouble bringing everything back together before the finish. (Again, you never really know these days in pro cycling...but on paper, it should be a big ole gallop to the line.)

Merlier or Kooij? That puts the spotlight firmly on Tim Merlier. The Soudal Quick-Step rider (sidenote, did you read about the new name of the Belgian squad in 2027 ?) has been the guy to beat in the Tour’s sprint finishes.

Decathlon CMA CGM’s Olav Kooij remains one of the biggest threats. The Dutch sprinter already has a stage win in this year’s race and has shown he can match Merlier when everything comes together. Although he lacks a traditional sprint train, Kooij has repeatedly demonstrated he can navigate chaotic finales on his own.

His team is more geared toward teenage phenom Paul Seixas and his bid for the GC in his first Grand Tour. The other sprinters Jasper Philipsen cannot be overlooked either. The Alpecin–Deceuninck rider has had the speed but has struggled with timing in recent sprints, often launching too late to challenge for victory.

With Mathieu van der Poel guiding him into position, however, he remains a serious contender if he gets his jump right. He has been frustrated so far this Tour, it would be nice to see him win today. Green jersey holder Mads Pedersen is expected to target valuable points at the intermediate sprint before trying to finish near the front in Nevers.

He’s not a true bunch sprinter like the others, but he’s riding smart to get in breaks and snag some points, then do his best to mix it up at the end. There’s also guys like Biniam Girmay, Max Kanter, and Søren Wærenskjold who will be there. It’s going to be another scorcher in France too, but at least they won’t have any climbs on Wednesday.

Stage 10 recap Stage 10 was another huge day for yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogačar . He claimed his third stage win of this Tour with a dominant solo attack in the Massif Central on Bastille Day, extending his overall lead by another 44 seconds over Visma–Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard. Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe’s

Remco Evenepoel finished second and moved onto the podium as Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro lost both third place overall and the white jersey. But as mentioned, there are still some very big days to come, including an individual time trial this weekend. You can watch today’s race on Flobikes.com , and as always, check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for a full report.

The post Tour de France Stage 11 preview: Sprinters set for another chance in Nevers appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .