NEVERS, France — Norwegian rider Søren Wærenskjold sprinted to victory in the 11th stage of the Tour de France and Tadej Pogačar protected his overall lead on Wednesday.
Wærenskjold finished just ahead of Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen and a host of other riders in a sprint finish that seemed inevitable on the relatively short and flat 161.3-kilometer (100.2-mile) route from Vichy to Nevers in central France.
It's the 26-year-old Wærenskjold's first stage win, and came a day after he crashed on the hilly stage to Le Lioran.
Pogačar, who stretched his lead to more than 3½ minutes with his third stage win of this Tour the day before, finished among a bunch of riders with his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard to maintain his advantage.
