Tadej Pogačar ok when crashed; Abrahamsen wins Tour de France stage

The Norwegian driver Jonas Abrahamsen attacked from the start and won the 11th stage of the Tour de France, while the racing favorite Tadej Pogačar fell off on Wednesday at the end of the goal.

Pogačar, the three -time champion, plunged with about 2.5 miles. His rivals for the general classification became slower so that he got back on his bike and joined again. He was able to reach his chain again and his bike was otherwise undamaged.

He thanked the group after he apparently lost the finish line unharmed and without time.

“I'm fine, a bit beaten up, but we went through worse days, so it was a hectic day from start to finish,” Pogačar told reporters. “In the end I had a bit of crash, and thanks to the peloton at the front, they actually waited. Obviously, the race there was more or less, but they could have taken the time.

“Really great respect for everyone. Thank you for your support, people.”

Ben Healy, who kept the yellow jersey of the overall leader, said that he had briefly talked to the two-time tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who was seen as a Pogačar competitor for the title, and both agreed that they should wait for the Slovenian cyclist.

Abrahamsen defeated the Swiss rider Mauro Schmid in a photo in a last sprint after the Dutch driver Mathieu van der Poel, born in Belgium, had made a late move to catch her. It was the first stage of the Norwegian driver on the tour and the first in this race for his team Uno-X mobility.

“I broke my collarbone four weeks ago,” said Abrahamsen. “I cried in the hospital because I thought I wouldn't make it to the Tour de France. I hoped and every day what I could come back to come back here in the Tour de France and to have won a stage is amazing.”

Van der Poel was seven seconds behind, while the general classification group including Pogačar and Healy withdrew 3:28.

Healy, only the fourth Irish driver who held the yellow jersey leads 29 seconds over Pogačar.

After the first day of rest on Tuesday, the Wednesday stage was a 97.4 mile loop from Toulouse back to the southern “Pink City” with a view of the Pyrenees. It was expected that the sprinters corresponded, although before the destination against the Côte de Pech David gave a sting towards the end of 20% on the Côte de Pech David.

Abrahamsen almost attacked from the start and was accompanied by Schmid and Davide Ballerini, which prompted Van der Poel attacks, Wout van Aert and Victor Campenaerts. Ultimately, all of their efforts were in vain.

“It is a crazy stage, people,” the decathlon -AG2R La Mondiale team was told about their radio equipment, “a crazy stage. Stay focused.”

The focus is now moving to 12th level 12 on Thursday, which brings the first high mountain mountain showdown of the tour with a summit finish on the legendary Hautacam.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.