Søren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility powered to a record breaking win in Nevers on Wednesday, at the end of stage 11 of the Tour de France.
It was the fastest road stage of the race ever recorded at 50.9kph – 0.6kph quicker than the previous best from 1999, which also finished in a sprint.
On a tricky run-in at the end of the 161.3km stage in central France, fancied riders like Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) were unable to live with the Norwegian when he opened his sprint.
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), who won stage five last week, was second, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) third.
“I thought I was too far back, but it opened up on the right side, which it usually doesn’t do,” Wærenskjold explained afterwards. “It was the same feeling as my first big win at Omloop Het Niewsblad, like I was too far back and suddenly at the front. It’s unbelievable.
“It means everything, it’s my biggest win so far,” he added. “When I came here I knew there are two or three guys that are faster than me, but if I’m lucky and I have a good sprint like today, then it’s possible. Sometimes I have really good confidence and I believe in myself, but there’s many, many times when I am super tired, like it’s impossible to win here.”
The 26-year-old, who was second in Bordeaux behind Merlier on stage seven, called the win “crazy” in that he had only crashed the day before. He did not feel good at the start of the day, but the adrenaline carried him through the final, he said.
“We’ve had some quite highs and lows in this race,” he said,” so it’s incredible to take this win. I just need to let it sink in, and then I will probably be more happy than I look now… it’s a big surprise for myself.”
More to follow…
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