2026 Tour de France: Stages 11 to 15

2026 Tour de France Stage 11: Wærenskjold Stuns the Sprinters with Record-Speed Victory

Stage 11 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 161.3 km from Vichy to Nevers and ended in one of the fastest stages in Tour history, with an average speed of 50.91 km/h.

A four-man breakaway animated the race for most of the day, collecting the available mountain and intermediate sprint points before being caught by the peloton with 7 km remaining. The sprint teams then took control as the race entered the narrow streets of Nevers.

In the final kilometers, Decathlon AG2R, Alpecin–Deceuninck, and several other sprint teams fought aggressively for position. Their battle for the front of the peloton briefly created congestion, leaving many of the pre-race favorites boxed in.

Sensing an opportunity, Uno-X Mobility's Søren Wærenskjold launched his sprint from the far right side of the road. Catching his rivals by surprise, the Norwegian accelerated into clear space and held off a late charge from Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, Olav Kooij, and the other leading sprinters to claim a shock victory.

With an average speed of 50.91 km/h, Wærenskjold's triumph became one of the fastest stage wins in Tour de France history.

The overall standings remained unchanged. Tadej Pogačar retained both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, Mads Pedersen continued to lead the points classification in green, and Juan Ayuso remained the best young rider in the white jersey.

Stage 12 will take the peloton 179.1 km from Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, where another sprint finish is expected.

2026 Tour de France Stage 12: Merlier Capitalizes on Late Crash for Third Stage Victory

Stage 12 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 179.3 km from Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône and ended in another dramatic bunch sprint.

A four-man breakaway animated the race for most of the day, collecting the available mountain and intermediate sprint points before being gradually reeled in by the peloton. A late counterattack briefly threatened to split the race, but the sprint teams regained control inside the final kilometers.

As the peloton entered Chalon-sur-Saône, the main sprint teams battled for position. However, with just 500 meters remaining, a crash at a corner caused major disruption, blocking much of the peloton and leaving only a small group of riders clear to contest the stage victory.

After Mathieu van der Poel completed his lead-out for teammate Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier reacted first. Launching his sprint from the left side of Philipsen, the Soudal Quick-Step rider accelerated clear and held off the remaining contenders to claim his third stage victory of the 2026 Tour de France.

Stage 13 will continue the race toward Belfort, where another fast stage is expected to favor the sprinters.

2026 Tour de France Stage 13: Schmid Edges Tejada in Thrilling Breakaway Finish

Stage 13 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 205.8 km from Dole to Belfort and belonged to the breakaway riders. A large escape group formed early, with several strong riders joining the move, while UAE Team Emirates–XRG allowed the break to build a substantial advantage as none of the riders threatened Tadej Pogačar's overall lead.

As the race reached the final two categorized climbs, repeated attacks gradually reduced the breakaway to just ten riders. Tom Pidcock was heavily marked by his rivals, creating an opportunity for Mauro Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla to launch a decisive attack.

Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan Team) was the only rider able to follow Schmid, while the remaining chasers hesitated and failed to organize an effective pursuit. The two leaders worked together to maintain their advantage all the way to the finish.

Inside the final 500 meters, Tejada opened the sprint first in an attempt to surprise his rival. Schmid remained on his wheel before producing a perfectly timed acceleration in the closing meters, edging past Tejada to claim a narrow but memorable stage victory in Belfort.

The overall standings remained unchanged after Stage 13. Tadej Pogačar retained both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, Mads Pedersen continued to wear the green jersey, and Juan Ayuso remained the leader of the young rider classification in white.

Stage 14 will take the peloton 155 km from Mulhouse to Le Markstein, where another demanding day is expected to favor climbers and breakaway specialists.

2026 Tour de France Stage 14: Pogačar Wins Solo Again as Seixas Takes the White Jersey

Stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 155 km from Mulhouse to Le Markstein and delivered another major showdown among the general classification contenders.

A breakaway of more than 30 riders formed early, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike placing several domestiques in the move to support Jonas Vingegaard later in the stage. As the race reached the final climbs, the breakaway gradually split apart before Visma increased the pace and brought back all of the remaining escapees.

On the final ascent, Vingegaard set a hard tempo that reduced the lead group to only a handful of riders, including Tadej Pogačar, Isaac del Toro, and French youngster Paul Seixas. With 1.6 km remaining, Pogačar launched a devastating attack that no one could follow. The Slovenian quickly opened a decisive gap and rode alone to his third mountain stage victory of the race.

Behind him, Vingegaard was joined by Del Toro and Seixas in the chase. Despite working together, they were unable to reduce the gap to Pogačar. In the final sprint for second place, Del Toro edged out Seixas, while Vingegaard finished just behind them.

Although he finished third on the stage, Paul Seixas earned enough bonus seconds to move into the lead of the young rider classification. The 19-year-old French talent claimed the white jersey, giving the home fans another rider to celebrate during the final week of the Tour.

After Stage 14, Tadej Pogačar retained both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, Mads Pedersen remained in the green jersey, and Paul Seixas became the new leader of the young rider classification.

Stage 15 will take the peloton 184 km from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison, where another demanding mountain stage is expected to shape the battle for the overall podium.

2026 Tour de France Stage 15: Evenepoel Wins as Vingegaard Crashes Out

Stage 15 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 183.9 km from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison and produced one of the most dramatic moments of the race.

A breakaway of more than 20 riders gained a significant advantage during the first half of the stage, while Team Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the chase behind. However, with around 21 km remaining, disaster struck when Jonas Vingegaard crashed at a roundabout. The Danish rider was unable to continue, ending his Tour after a serious crash and leaving Tadej Pogačar without his biggest rival.

Following the incident, Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe took over the pace-setting in the peloton. On the final climb, the group of overall contenders was reduced to just a handful of riders, including Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Paul Seixas.

UAE Team Emirates–XRG focused on protecting Del Toro's position in the young rider classification rather than launching repeated attacks for Pogačar. That tactical approach allowed Evenepoel to conserve energy by staying on Pogačar's wheel throughout the climb.

Inside the final kilometer, Del Toro attacked first, prompting an immediate response from Evenepoel. Pogačar joined the sprint moments later, but Evenepoel timed his acceleration perfectly and powered to victory, becoming the first rider since the 2024 Tour de France to defeat Pogačar head-to-head on a mountain stage.

Although Pogačar retained a comfortable lead in the general classification, Evenepoel's victory provided a major confidence boost ahead of the upcoming individual time trial.

After Stage 15, Pogačar continued to wear both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, Mads Pedersen retained the green jersey, and Isaac del Toro reclaimed the white jersey.

Stage 16 will feature a 26 km individual time trial in Évian-les-Bains, where the general classification battle is expected to enter another decisive phase.

(Image source: Tour de France organizers)