2018 Tour de France Stage 11 Results & Recap
Stage 11 of the 2018 Tour de France is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Thomas wins stage 11, flys into yellow
By Clara Beard
Geraint Thomas has taken the yellow jersey after unleashing remarkable strength on the final climb to La Rosiere, overtaking Mikel Nieve in the final meters. Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) took second and Thomas’ teammate, Chris Froome finished third boosting him to second overall.
“It wasn’t really the plan, I attacked on instinct. I knew Froome could follow wheels and I could sit on Dumoulin’s,” Thomas said. “This is one of the best stages of my career, without a doubt. I’ll enjoy the day in yellow tomorrow. To climb the iconic L’Alpe d’Huez in the yellow jersey is massive. The leader of the team remains Chris Froome. He has won six Grand Tours whereas performing for three weeks is an unknown for me. Whatever happens from now on, it’ll be a successful Tour de France for me. I’d like to keep the yellow jersey for a few more days. I’d also like to make the final podium but the priority remains to win the race and Chris is our best card for that.”
After an early intermediate sprint that saw Peter Sagan scoop up more points toward his green jersey, a group of 20 riders made the early break on the hors-category Montée de Bisanne including Julian Alaphilippe who was in a battle with Warren Barguil (Fortuneo-Samsic for the polka dot jersey.
In the peloton, Team Sky took charge setting pace. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) attacked 5km before the top of col du Pré.
“Team Sky once again showed their strength,” best young rider Pierre Latour said. “They put the hammer down in the col du Pré. We expected a fast race. Valverde attacked from far out. That’s what threw them into a panic. It was always flat out after that. We tried to hold on. There’ll be other opportunities.
Despite the action on the earlier climbs, it all came down to the HC La Roisere, when Froome, Dumoulin and Thomas accelerated, dropping their challengers and by passing early breakaway survivor, Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton-Scott) right at the finish. \n
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