That’s all on a day when Majka grabbed the stage win, Sagan reclaimed the green jersey, Froome maintained his overall advantage and Nibali lost more time to the GC contenders.
Stick around on the site for the stage report and more reaction. Thanks for all your emails, bye!
Updated
Before I wrap up, here’s the latest news from William Fotheringham in Cauterets:
The anti-doping campaigner behind the controversial Tweeted video of Chris Froome has called upon Team Sky to release the Briton’s power data to dispel any doubts about his probity, and has broadened the call to include all cycling teams.
“I’d like Sky to publish all that, to restore credibilty,” said Antoine Vayer, the Breton teacher who passed on what is alleged to be Froome’s data to the person who compiled the video marrying what purported to be Froome’s power-meter and pulse data with television footage of the Tour de France leader on Mont Ventoux in 2013.
On Wednesday he released a second video, showing similar data but this time of Froome in the 2014 Vuelta.
Here’s a look at the general classification after stage 11, Froome’s overall lead as it was at the start of the day:
Nouveau Top 10 / New overall top 10. #TDF2015 pic.twitter.com/c8c9UBT3Vw
— Le Tour de France (@letour) July 15, 2015
Nibali crossed the line dejectedly having lost almost a minute to Froome, Contador and Valverde today. It won’t be his Tour this time.
Rafal Majka after winning stage 11: “It’s no easy stage. I like this weather when it’s warm. I am so happy, this victory is for my team-mates, for Ivan Basso who is at home. I come here to help Alberto [Contador] – it’s still a long Tour de France.”
Stage 11 top five
1. Rafal Majka
2. Dan Martin, +1.00
3. Emmanuel Buchmann, +1.23
4. Serge Pauwels, +2.06
5. Thomas Voeckler, +3.34
Tony Gallopin kicks away from the yellow jersey group and Valverde does likewise as they approach the line. Chris Froome follows the Spanish rider clearly determined not to give up any more time, and loses no more than a second. They finish around 5min 20sec down on Majka.
#TDF2015 Attack from @tonygallopin in the jellow jersey group!
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) July 15, 2015
Pauwels battles on to finish fourth, while Simon has a little chat with Voeckler as they approach the line and Tommy takes fifth.
Dan Martin finishes second 58secs behind Majka, a very impressive ride from the Irishman, while Buchmann crosses the line in third.
Rafal Majka wins stage 11!
The Tinkoff-Saxo rider wins with a wonderful display of solo climbing, as last year’s King of the Mountains shows his credentials for the polka dot jersey again. He sits up in his saddle and smiles. Dan Martin has impressed and will take his second second-placed finish of this Tour, while back in the yellow jersey group Nibali is struggling yet again and can’t keep pace with Froome, Contador and the rest.
Updated
Dan Martin hammers past Serge Pauwels. The Irishman has been declared the most combative rider of the day and rightly so – but he is going to need something quite extraordinary to reel in Majka 1min 28sec up the road with just 2.5km to go.
While Majka continues to pump hard in the sunshine towards an impressive stage 11 victory, six minutes down the road Chris Froome will be happy enough. It looks like he is going to clock around the same time as his main GC contenders and maintain his strong grip on the yellow jersey.
5km to go
Majka is halfway through this final climb to Cauterets and he has a 1min 15sec gap over Pauwels, with Dan Martin a little further back.
Team Sky continue to control the yellow jersey group:
Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas lead Chris Froome onto the last climb! 20 riders left in the group with 7km to go, Majka at 6:24 #TDF2015
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) July 15, 2015
In between Majka and Martin is Serge Pauwels, who is 1min 20sec behind the Polish rider. The GC contenders are all clustered together, six minutes back. Majka puffs out his cheeks as he digs in for victory, 6km out.
10km to go
Majka turns left and left again, narrow town streets filled with cheering fans which push him along, as does the tailwind he has gained from that change in direction. Majka heads for home! And with a two minute lead from Martin and Buchmann, who appears to be sitting on the wheel of the Irishman. The yellow jersey group are now six minutes back.
@LawrenceOstlere Most unpopular in peloton should wear tight rolledup jeans and childs sunglasses and ride a fixie with alleycat spoke cards
— Stacey Collins (@PremSafety) July 15, 2015
@LawrenceOstlere 'Most unpopular person' it has to be a full clown costume complete with Horn, or it being France, a mime outfit.
— Gregg Smith (@GreggSmith1) July 15, 2015
Rui Costa, who pulled out of the Tour today:
#TDF I'm sorry Team,sponsors,family&friends. I don't know whats happening w/ my body.I feel really bad.I'll do some medical tests&let u know
— Rui Costa (@RuiCostaCyclist) July 15, 2015
The climbs thus far have really taken their toll as the peloton fragments behind Majka at the front. Pauwels (MTN) rides 1min 15sec behind him, with Martin and Buchmann a further 45sec away. Then come Simon and Voeckler, before the strong yellow jersey group lead by Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas and including Nibali, Contador and Quintana still more than five minutes behind the leader. 14km to go – the final 10km is a category three climb to the top of Côte de Cauterets.
Updated
18km to go to the finish of stage 11 at Cauterets:
@LawrenceOstlere waiting at finish Cauterets pic.twitter.com/WC4crp84Za
— s o sullivan (@s_sassa) July 15, 2015
This is a really impressive showing from the Polish rider out on his own, Rafal Majka. He won a couple of mountain stages last year and is showing that climbing ability once more – but he has also demonstrated his descending skills, opening up a healthy gap at the front.
#TDF2015 Not big changes in the race on the downhill. So, Majka still has over 5 minutes to yellow jersey group. He has to win today
— Katusha Team (@katushacycling) July 15, 2015
27km remain in stage 11 and the breakaway is breaking up. Simon and Voeckler can’t keep pace and they drop behind Martin, Pauwels and Buchmann who continue to pursue Majka 1min 50sec ahead. He’s 5min 36sec clear of the yellow jersey group as he continues to descend with a lovely aerodynamic technique, crouching forwards and sitting low off the saddle.
@LawrenceOstlere perhaps most unpopular should just ride w/out shorts. Or baggie pants.
— Tom Butler (@thosbutler) July 15, 2015
@LawrenceOstlere perhaps the most "unpopular in the peloton" might ride with a grocery basket and, for emphasis, annoying spoke clackers
— Stephen Cassidy (@StephenCassid10) July 15, 2015
Updated
Steve Morabito is struggling to keep pace in the breakaway and falls off the pace, leaving five riders to chase Rafal Majka.
Meanwhile, Nick Tebbutt emails this video of peloton-favourite Tommy Voeckler dishing out some roadside abuse:
This strong yellow jersey group containing all the GC contenders reach the top of Tourmalet, Richie Porte in the polka dots leading the way with Team Sky team-mate Geraint Thomas. They remain 5min 38sec back from Rafal Majka who leads, with the six-man breakaway of Voeckler and company more than a minute behind the Pole.
Updated
It looks like Richie Porte is back at it, and has joined up with the yellow jersey group again made up of: Nibali, Kangert (Astana), Froome, Porte and Thomas (Sky), Contador (Tinkoff), Quintana and Valverde (Movistar), Van Garderen and Sanchez (BMC), Gallopin (Lotto), Rolland (Europcar), Gesink (Lotto-Jumbo), Mollema (Trek). The pack remain five minutes behind Polish rider for Tinkoff-Saxo, Rafal Majka, who’s solo break looks to be giving him the maximum KoM points – he does indeed get there and he’s on the descent.
@LawrenceOstlere Maybe jersey for 'most unpopular in peloton' could be the Lance Armstrong Prize. Implied Froome was doping in a tweet y'day
— DorianGrayskull (@doriangrayskull) July 15, 2015
@LawrenceOstlere re that unpopular jersey- perhaps a red ribbon on the back of the bike, like a naughty pony...?
— Jasmine Robinson (@jasteeth) July 15, 2015
Yesterday’s second finisher, Team Sky’s Richie Porte, is another to have fallen away from the back of the peloton, while Rein Taraamäe and Lampre’s Rui Costa have both abandoned the Tour in the past few minutes. This testing stage 11 is taking its toll.
So with 45km remaining of stage 11, Rafal Majka is out in front, legs pumping hard up Tourmalet as he tries to open up a gap to the rest of his breakaway chums behind him. They number six riders made up of Morabito (FDJ), Pauwels (MTN), Voeckler (EUC), Buchmann (BOA), Simon (COF), and Martin (TCG). The peloton is around 4min 50sec back with Astana driving forwards. Froome, Contador, Nibali, Quintana and Van Garderen are all in the peloton but plenty of others, including Barguil and Sagan have fallen off the pace in a group of stragglers further back.
Romain Bardet the latest rider to be dropped by the Astana led peloton http://t.co/czTNVRCiHd #Tour2015
— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) July 15, 2015
Updated
Nibali has positioned himself near the front of the peloton, chest bare, behind one team-mate as Astana crank up the pace quite dramatically. They have cut the gap to the breakaway right down to 4min 3osec, and in the process are starting to crush any chance of breakaway stage victory. Up at the front Rafal Majka is leading solo with 5km to the top of the Tourmalet.
On the subject of the most unpopular rider’s jersey: “Not a special jersey,” suggest Pauline Peel, “but rather a black helmet, maybe?”
This is could be a crucial part of this stage. Just as Astana drive on the peloton, Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) attacks off the front of the breakaway group and is out in front on his own.
48.2km to go. Majka riding away from his break mates. #TDF2015
— Etixx - Quick-Step (@Etixx_QuickStep) July 15, 2015
Astana have hit the front of the peloton and pumped up the pace a little. They’ve quickly knocked another minute or so off the gap to the breakaway which is down to 5min 20sec and falling. They’ve also managed to shed some big names with Pinot, Sagan and several others straggling off the back of the peloton.
Regarding Tommy Voeckler’s unique style, Ian Dyer points in the direction of this:
Updated
50km to go
And we have reached halfway in this year’s Tour de France – though that is measured in kilometres, not effort and output. The peloton has nudged the gap to the leaders down to less than 7min. Riders in the breakaway grab some fluids as they battle up Tourmalet as Arnaud Demare falls off the back once more.
“Unpopular in the peloton,” ponders John Parham. “Does the tour have a jersey for that classification?”
The peloton has embarked on 45 minutes of brutal ascent, and they’ve cut the gap to the breakaway down to around 7min, an eight-strong group of Morabito (FDJ), Pauwels (MTN), Majka (TCS), Voeckler (EUC), Buchmann (BOA), Simon (COF), Demare (FDJ) and Martin (TCG). Demare has worked his way back into the fold well after dropping off earlier. The Col du Tourmalet is a 17.1km hors catégorie climb at an average gradient of 7.3%, a hard grind:
@LawrenceOstlere last Wednesday, little different to today. First Pop will eat itself tribute on Tourmalet pic.twitter.com/7MJOePNwaY
— Lefty (@paulwrightyboy) July 15, 2015
The breakaway sweeps round a tight turn at Saint Marie de Campan as they approach the foot of Tourmale, the gap to the peloton still around 7min 40 sec.
“A year or two ago,” emails Chris Chadwick, “I heard Tommy Voeckler described as being “unpopular in the peloton”. Is this still the case? I seem to recall it’s because he’s considered to ham it up a little to lull the others into thinking he’s had it so he skips the odd turn at the front, only for him to be full of beans as the finish approaches. I don’t know why but the phrase “unpopular in the peloton” struck me as having a nice ring to it and I now use it to describe anyone lacking popularity in a given group. Also, I always keep an eye out for Tommy and imagine his fellow riders sniping at him as he gurns his way along.”
I’m stealing it, Chris. Every time my friend ‘forgets’ to buy a round, I’ll tell him he’s becoming unpopular in the peloton.
Richie Porte leads the peloton over Col d’Aspin 7min 50sec after Dan Martin and the breakaway group. The pack embark on the descent which will be crucial to the day as the precursor to the Col du Tourmalet.
Updated
AG2R La Mondiale are not having a good time so far today. Johan Vansummeren has abandoned the Tour after failing to recover sufficiently from injuries sustained in the opening week, while Romain Bardet is suffering from sunstroke and has reportedly vomited whilst on the bike.
Result at Col d’Aspin (177 km)
1. Dan Martin, 10 points
2. Thomas Voeckler, 8
3. Serge Pauwels, 6
4. Rafal Majka, 4
5. Julien Simon, 2
6. Steve Morabito, 1
@LawrenceOstlere I always think that Tommy V looks like a particularly angry priest.
— Sean Dwyer (@Doug_Groovy) July 15, 2015
Dan Martin says goodbye to his new breakaway pals, powering clear to take the ten maximum polka dot points. What an impressive 15km from the Irishman, driving from the peloton past the leaders to reach the Col d’Aspin summit first. 70km remain as the leaders throw their feet out wide and bomb down the other side.
Updated
There are ten KoM points up for grabs for the first to the top of the Col d’Aspin, from which the break is around 500m away.
#TDF2015 Martin is in the front group now, it goes too fast for Démare. High temperatures in the Pyrenees today, 33°.
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) July 15, 2015
Updated
Tommy Voeckler heads to the front of the breakaway group which Dan Martin has joined, to make seven riders again. They continue to attack this steep climb less than 2km from the summit of Col d’Aspin.
“Has anyone got a funny GIF of Tommy V’s riding style,” emails Owen Harris. “He looks like a monkey climbing a branch. Also his hilarious collection of facial expressions always raise a smile.”
Dan Martin’s mission is going to plan with a hugely impressive solo climb, though how much it is taking out him we shall find out. He has shaken off Grivko, who is going backwards (not literally) towards the peloton, and has reduced his gap to the breakaway to less than one minute. The breakaway itself has dropped Frenchman Arnaud Démare off the back so six remain (Morabito (FDJ), Pauwels (MTN), Majka (TCS), Voeckler (EUC), Buchmann (BOA), Simon (COF)). The peloton is 7min back from this lead group.
@LawrenceOstlere They seem a little peeved in France that @ChrisFroome has "killed" this year's Tour de France: http://t.co/ZhMgKp2fAA
— The Local France (@TheLocalFrance) July 15, 2015
“Just wanted to say how pleased I am (although as unsurprised as Guy Hornsby) that Tommy V is in the breakaway today,” emails Helen Jones. “He’s one of the most exciting riders in my opinion, and always brightens every tour for me! It’s refreshing to see a rider less concerned with GC and more concerned with giving the public something thrilling to watch. I will be rooting for him today!”
The gradient has just kicked up a notch. In the heat riders have unzipped, bare chested grinding up the 12km Col d’Aspin ascent. Martin and Grivko are 2min 14sec behind the breakaway, with the peloton a further 4min back.
I’d like to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug our web editor James Dart’s fundraising for Youth Sport Trust. James is taking on the Prudential RideLondon 100 on 2 August and if you’d like chip in for a great cause, you can do so here. Thanks.
The peloton is approaching the category one Col d’Aspin with the gap to the breakaway tipping past six minutes. A motorbike avec whiteboard zips alongside Dan Martin and Andriy Grivko to let them know they are around three minutes behind the leading seven.
“Well I imagine you’re all as shocked as I am that Tommy Voeckler is in a mountain breakaway,” emails Guy Hornsby. “Europcar need something to shout about given how poor their tour’s been so far. Pierre Roland is a huge 14 minutes back in the GC. I’m not sure this will last to the end, but it may last the Tourmalet if Martin can bridge the gap. And if this stage is anywhere close to yesterday’s, we are in for a treat. I just don’t see anyone taking a chunk out of Froome, he looks imperious.”
#TDF2015 The leaders are on the Col d'Aspin, they are 6'07" ahead. There are 2 chasers, D. Martin and Grivko. pic.twitter.com/EI28FmUf22
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) July 15, 2015
Team Sky front the peloton and don’t appear put out by this breakaway 5min 30sec up the road, which doesn’t contain any GC contenders. Dan Martin’s slightly panicked burst from the pack towards the leaders has left him rather stuck in between, albeit with Grivko for company. 83km remain of this 188km stage 11.
“Hello Lawrence,” emails Peter Redahan. “One wonders if the spectator dressed in the Baywatch esque swimwear was their way of highlighting the constant question of drug enhancement in professional cycling, much in the same way pammy Anderson engaged in body altering augmentations.”
Morabito (FDJ), Pauwels (MTN), Majka (TCS), Voeckler (EUC), Buchmann (BOA), Simon (COF) and Demare (FDJ) are the seven riders out in front working together to build a lead from the peloton, which has grown rapidly to nearly five minutes. Dan Martin says enough is enough and streaks clear of the pack in chase of the breakaway, and Andriy Grivko fancies going with Irishman.
It’s a hot day in the Pyrenees, the air temperature around 30 degrees Celsius, which could play its part in an extremely challenging finish to stage 11. For now the peloton heads south through Héches as they move closer to the foot of Col d’Aspin, a category one 12km climb, more than 3min behind a lead pack of seven riders after the counterattack caught the breakaway.
#TDF2015 Démare and Simon joined the front group. Seven leaders now, they have 3'14" advantage. The breakaway of the day is formed.
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) July 15, 2015
Updated
With 100km to go, finally a breakaway is sticking. Morabito (FDJ), Pauwels (MTN), Majka (TCS), Voeckler (EUC) and Buchmann (BOA) have established a lead of around 2min 50sec from the peloton, with a two-man conterattack (Simon and Demare) bridging the gap.
General classification before stage 11
1 Froome (Sky) 35h 56m 09s
2 Van Garderen (BMC) +2.52
3 Quintana (Movistar) +3.09
4 Valverde (Movistar) +4.01
5 Thomas (Sky) +4.03
6 Contador (Tinkoff) +4.04
7 Gallopin (Lotto) +4.33
8 Gesink (Lotto NL) +4.35
9 Barguil (Giant) +6.12
10 Nibali (Astana) +6.57
Another group attempt to breakaway, including stage eight winner Alexis Vuillermoz and former polka dot jersey wearer Daniel Teklehaimanot, and the latter pushes away to reach the top of the Côte de Mauvezin first. Since then Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) have pushed around ten seconds clear of the peloton, and Serge Pauwels (MTN) has joined them.
While this stage begins to rumble into gear, take a look at some of the best images from yesterday’s stage 10, which belonged to Team Sky and Chris Froome.
Since the sprint, French riders Pinot and Bardet had led a 20-strong breakaway group but the peloton has just reclaimed them, Team Sky at the fore upping the pack’s tempo. The peloton is taking on the 2.7km category three Côte de Mauvezin all as one.
So far in stage 11
The riders are through nearly 70km in this 188km stage. Westra, Kwiatkowski, Jungels and Boasson Hagen made an early breakaway but were reined it at 47km. Thomas Voeckler claimed two KoM points at the top of Côte de Loucrup with Dan Martin taking the single runners-up point, and Swiss rider Steve Morabito was first up the category three Côte de Bagnères-de-Bigorre which soon followed, grabbing a KoM point for himself.
In between the two summits an intermediate sprint broke up the pack. Matteo Trentin burst to the line first and, more significantly, Peter Sagan finished second with André Greipel way out of contention, reestablishing Sagan at the top of the green jersey standings with 239 points from the German’s 225.
Result of the intermediate sprint at Pouzac (56.5km)
- Matteo Trentin, 20 points
- Peter Sagan, 17
- John Degenkolb, 15
- Zdenek Stybar, 13
- Sylvain Chavanel, 11
Updated
Before catching up with stage 11, news today is that Chris Froome plans to undergo independent physiological testing after the Tour in an effort to counter allegations made by critics of his performances (read the full story here):
“What haven’t I done? I’ve tried to be as much as a spokesman as I can for clean cycling,” Froome said. “I’ve spoken to the CIRC [Cycling Independent Reform Condition], I’ve made suggestions to the governing body to implement things like night-time testing. I’ve pointed out when I’ve felt there hasn’t been enough testing, in places like Tenerife. What else is a clean rider supposed to do?”
“It doesn’t make me angry,” Froome added. “It would be a different story if I had something to hide. I know I’m a clean rider. I know I’ve worked extremely hard to be in this position. I’m really proud of that.
“I do understand where the questions are coming from, the history of the sport and the people before me who have won the Tour. I am sympathetic, but at the same time there needs to be a certain level of respect also. I’ve worked extremely hard to get here. I’m not going to let anyone take that away from me.”
William Fotheringham has written his take on the added focus that now surrounds the man in yellow (read the full piece here):
The elegant town of Pau has been the scene of more than its share of cycling mysteries, and another one was added to the list on Monday when Sir Dave Brailsford raised a minor storm by stating that Team Sky’s lawyers were on the case of people who he suspected had hacked into Chris Froome’s training files. That was accompanied by the removal from YouTube of a video marrying what purported to be Froome’s power-meter and pulse data with television footage from the 2013 Tour finish at Mont Ventoux.
The following morning Brailsford said he would prefer to focus his attention on the day’s stage from Tarbes to the hill-top finish at Pierre Saint Martin but the genie was out of the bottle. Froome, having won the 10th stage in convincing style, was emphatic the video was a “sideshow” and that any suggestion it might imply he was using performance- enhancing methods or substances was “nuts, especially as the data in question is two years old”. It was even being reported that the 2013 champion was willing to undergo independent physiological testing and release the results to prove his innocence.
“Those guys have that tag, the Fab Four, which is getting a little irritating hearing that,” said Tejay van Garderen on Sunday, after leading BMC to victory in the stage nine team time trial. Quietly the American was infiltrating the main contenders. Van Garderen had spent nine days making sure that by the time this race took to the Pyrenees, he would be considered alongside Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali, going wheel-to-wheel with Chris Froome in the mountains.
But no sooner had he joined the band than their frontman decided to go solo. At La Pierre Saint-Martin yesterday Froome took more painful chunks out of his rivals than any Cambrai cobblestones could. Nibali, reigning Tour king: 4min 25sec. Contador, 2015 Giro winner: 2min 51sec. Van Garderen, his nearest rival: 2min 30sec. Only Quintana could keep in touch, and even then the Colombian was beaten back to third by Richie Porte as Sky claimed an ominous one-two.
It all had echoes of 2013. Likewise then, on the opening stage in the Pyrenees, Froome had stormed to victory with Porte behind him for a commanding hold of the yellow jersey. Froome went on to win the Tour, of course, by more than four minutes from second-placed Quintana. The Movistar rider grew into the race with shows of strength building until his stage 20 victory when all was done and dusted; This time Quintana, two years older and wiser, must hit back quickly if the 2015 edition is to remain more than a procession to Paris.
The same urgency is required from Contador, Van Garderen and Nibali – if the Italian’s race is not already run – and one impressive place to make some time and a statement is certainly Tourmalet, the 2km hors catégorie climb which precedes the stage 11 finish at Cautarets today.
Stage 11 – Pau to Cautarets (188km)
More conventional mountain fare, with the diptych of Aspin and Tourmalet the main battle ground, 37km from the finish, which is up a lengthy drag rated third category.
There is bound to be an early break of mountain goats who have lost time in the first week – Thomas Voeckler or Pierre Rolland have made their careers out of winning stages like these – but the Tourmalet is probably too far from the finish for an epic move from one of the favourites.
They will probably prefer to scrap for seconds on the final climb, finishing together in a select little group, viewing this as a warm-up – or a wearing down – for the next day.
Read more from our stage-by-stage guide of the Tour de France.
