Tadej Pogačar has broken plenty of Tour de France records in person since he first won the race outright back in 2020, but on stage 11 of this year’s edition, the Slovenian oversaw one new record being set that actually wasn’t his direct responsibility.
The 161.3-kilometre, largely-flat run from Vichy to Nevers saw a new average speed record established for a non-time trial stage of 50.91 kph. That was over half-a-kilometre faster than the previous highest of 50.356 kph back in Blois in 1999.
Pogačar finished safely in the main pack in 48th place, and could celebrate a 61st day in yellow, having equalled Miguel Indurain with the third highest total after stage 10.
Latest Videos From
But as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider confirmed to reporters afterwards, despite this being a transition day for the race leader after his victory at Le Lioran 24 hours earlier, he couldn’t help but notice, too, how blisteringly quickly the peloton had ridden.
“I felt it was fast, it was obviously not a super-hard stage, but when we stopped for a pee, to come back to the peloton was crazy,” Pogačar said.
You may like
“So I was like, actually, we will be fast at the finish line. And it’s good to have been part of the fastest stage in the Tour – OK, even if it was not a super-long stage.”
Pogačar explained that there were various reasons for the lightning-fast stage, amongst them the strong tailwind which blew steadily behind the riders on a course that headed mostly in a clear single direction from south to north across the exposed plains of central France.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
On top of that, the four-man break of the day was a very good one, including riders as experienced as Anthon Charmig (Uno X-Mobility), former double World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Movistar TT powerhouse Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), and that helped keep the sprinters’ teams chasing hard for 142 kilometres out of 166.
“The reason why was there were a lot of chances for break would go all the way to the finish line and the sprint teams took control, they needed to catch them,” Pogačar explained.
“They were very strong riders, that is why the speed was so high, once we caught them we slowed down immediately. It was so funny from five kms to two kms to go” – normally a point when the pace is nearing its absolute highest – “we rode the slowest of the whole stage.
What to read next
“But the biggest reason was the tailwind. With a headwind there would be much less speed, even though when you have such a strong breakaway, you always go fast.”
On a personal level, Pogačar said that his own goal was simply to get through safely, with a near miss coming when a bidon was trapped in his front wheel and he came very close to crashing.
“I completely s*** my pants there,” he told reporters later, “and I already saw myself on the ground. But luckily I managed to keep my handlebars upright, and yeah, all good in the end.”
But if one of the Tour’s longest-standing modern records was finally broken after 27 years on Wednesday – and curiously enough on what was, barring the sprint finale, one of the most anodyne stages of this year’s race so far – Pogačar’s domination of the race overall remains absolutely unchanged. That domination appears highly unlikely to end at any point soon.
When asked if his current form was one of the best it had ever been at a half-way point in the Tour like today’s stage 11, Pogačar instantly agreed.
“Honestly, yes, so far, I didn’t have any issues or any problems, in general. Not just my physical shape, but also the surroundings – how you feel off the bike and how you sleep,” he said.
“I think in this Tour, just everything so far is so good, and at halfway into the race, the feeling is super good.”
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.