After a wild start to the 2025 Tour de France, which has seen crashes and crosswinds cause havoc in the peloton to go with some sensational racing and memorable wins, the race arrived in Toulouse for a lumpy 157km route and one final chance for the puncheurs of the bunch before a mountainous end to week two.
It was puncheur supreme and breakaway specialist Jonas Abrahamsen, who attacked nearly every day of last year’s Tour, who claimed a maiden grand tour stage win at the end of stage 11. The Norwegian was in the break from kilometre zero and held off companion Mauro Schmid by half a wheel length on the line, with Mathieu van der Poel attacking out of a high-quality chase group but unable to challenge the pair for victory.
Ireland’s Ben Healy is the surprise owner of the yellow jersey after escaping up the road in the break on stage 10 and staying far enough ahead of Tadej Pogacar to usurp the reigning Tour de France champion at the top of the general classification.
And Healy retained yellow at the end of stage 11 as Pogacar crashed with 4km to go in Toulouse, but no GC gaps materialised as his rivals sportingly waited for the Slovene to get himself back into contention. That’s all set to change on stage 12, however, a feast of climbing and GC fireworks in the Pyrenees.
Follow all the updates from stage 11 of the Tour de France below.
Tour de France 2025 – stage 10 live
- Stage 11: 154km from Toulouse to Toulouse | Live on TNT Sports and ITV4
- Jonas Abrahamsen wins stage 11 as Ben Healy keeps yellow
- Today's race is a long, flat circular route around the famous French city
- Expect sprinters to feature in the action despite short, steep climbs around the city
- Key points of stage 11
‘I’m a bit beaten up’: Tadej Pogacar caught out in late crash on stage 11
18:04 , Flo CliffordDefending champion Tadej Pogacar was caught out in a late crash on stage 11 of the Tour de France, hitting the deck with 4km to go on a breathless and chaotic stage.
The world champion appeared to overlap wheels with Tobias Halland Johannessen, the 10th-placed rider in the general classification, as a reduced group of favourites headed towards the finish line in Toulouse.
The incident saw Pogacar crash and slide across the road into the kerb, but he appeared unhurt, immediately getting back up and attempting to fix his chain. A neutral service mechanic helped fix the mechanical and the Slovenian, currently second on GC at 29” behind yellow jersey Ben Healy, made his way back into a passing group of riders with a teammate dropping back to pilot him back into the group of favourites.
‘I’m a bit beaten up’: Tadej Pogacar caught out in late crash on stage 11
'Crazy, crazy couple of days' - Ben Healy
17:11 , Flo Clifford“Honestly I think I’ve lost a few years off my life after today because it was pretty stressful,” Ben Healy says. “The team did a super effort to keep me in it, I missed a split early on but from then on we were on the ball all day. Few little attacks in the final there but able to stay with the group, really happy I’ve managed to hold onto yellow for another day.
Asked about his own brief attack, he says, “You’ve got to take what you can get, the opportunity oresented itself so went on a little dig with Jonas. You never know what’s going to come of these things.
“The family’s all flown out just to see me in yellow, which is so special. Just been a crazy, crazy couple of days. I’m optimistic, I think it’s going to be a pretty hard fight to hold onto yellow, but I’m going to find right until the end, and hopefully have some super legs tomorrow.”
Asked about Pogacar’s crash, he says, “I was on the right of him, honestly I didn’t really see what happened, just hope that he’s okay.”
Jonas Abrahamsen wins stage 11
17:04 , Flo CliffordLook at what it means. What a star.
Protestor at finish
16:57 , Flo CliffordIn the midst of all that, I didn’t get the chance to mention some idiot protestor running into the road as Schmid and Abrahamsen came to the line, intercepted by a Tour de France staffer. Usual rules of sensible behaviour: don’t set off flares, don’t get in the riders’ way, and don’t run into the middle of the road.
'Thanks to our rivals' - UAE Team Emirates-XRG
16:49 , Flo CliffordPogacar is with the doctors now having his road rash cleaned up, Andrej Hauptmann, UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports director, tells TNT Sports. “We need to say thanks to our rivals because it was really fair play after the crash, this was nice to see.
When it’s put to him that the yellow jersey of Ben Healy was instrumental in making that group wait, he says, “Thank you Ben, another day that you can see that he’s a really great champion. Nice to see him in yellow.” All’s fair in sport and war, etc.
Tadej Pogacar's crash
16:42 , Flo CliffordThe defending champion ultimately crossed the line alongside his rivals and will no doubt be grateful that they waited rather than Visma attacking while he was down, with 4km to go.
Looking at replays, it looked like Tobias Halland Johannessen swerved across the road to follow an attack by another rider, with that overlap bringing Pogacar down.
Mauro Schmid: 'Highs and lows'
16:35 , Flo CliffordTNT Sports has a chat with today’s runner-up Mauro Schmid, a Tour debutant already making an impact on the race.
“I thought stage 10 was already pretty hard, had some records on my Garmin, but today was even harder,” he says. “After the rest day a stage like this, so many guys like me that wanted to be in the break today because the stages from here on will be quite hard. So today was a really good opportunity.
“We all worked pretty well together, we all had during the day our highs and lows, but normally when you go in a break like this you have this middle section where you can breathe a bit and recover, but today we could never really do that.”
General classification after stage 11
16:30- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) in 41:01:13
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +29”
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +1'29”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +1'46”
- Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), +2'06”
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels), +2’26”
- Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), +3’24”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3’34”
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3’41”
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +5’03”
No change on GC, despite Pogacar’s late scare in that crash.
Stage 11 results
16:24- Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno X-Mobility) in 3:15:56
- Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla)
- Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +7”
- Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Caps) +53”
- Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious)
- Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies)
- Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), all at same time
- Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) +1’11”
'I was thinking, I have to win' - Jonas Abrahamsen
16:18 , Flo Clifford“I broke my collarbone four weeks in Belgium Tour, I was crying because I thought I wasn’t riding the Tour de France,” Jonas Abrahamsen says. “Every day I did everything I could to come back. To win a stage at the Tour de France is amazing. It was so difficult to pass [Mauro Schmid] but I was thinking, I have to win the stage. A lot of people wonder why do you go in the breakaway, the main goal for the team was to take a stage. I’m so proud of the team.
“From metre zero I was sprinting out of the car so I have to be smart [at the finish], not go over the limit in the end, I was hoping to take him in the sprint. It’s so nice to get the victory now. ”
Kaden Groves wins peloton sprint as Healy retains yellow
16:12 , Flo CliffordVan der Poel goes to shake hands with Abrahamsen, who roars in celebration with his team. The perennial breakaway man has finally had his reward. What a day.
Behind, the peloton crosses together, Kaden Groves winning a reduced sprint for pride. No time gaps among the favourites and Ben Healy remains in yellow. Pogacar shakes hands with his GC rivals to say thanks.
“I’m okay,” he tells a teammate.
Jonas Abrahamsen wins stage 11!
16:09 , Flo CliffordIt’s a first-ever grand tour stage win for Uno X-Mobility, and a first for Jonas Abrahamsen, who wasn’t even supposed to be at this Tour! He broke his collarbone at the Baloise Belgium Tour and only just healed in time to make it. And now he’s won a Tour de France stage. Magic.
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Van Aert leads next group
16:07 , Flo CliffordThe six-man chasing group sprint for fourth... de Lie has the measure of his competitors, Laurance and van Aert next behind him.
Still not sure who won the stage, though...
500m to go
16:06 , Flo CliffordSchmid leads them into the final 500m to go. He starts looking around... Van der Poel is chasing at absolutely full speed...
Abrahamsen opens up his sprint ... they cross the line at the same time!
Van der Poel was too late.
1km to go
16:05 , Flo CliffordSchmid and Abrahamsen go under the flamme rouge. Joy for Switzerland or Norway today? They’ve got nine seconds on Van der Poel...
2km to go
16:04 , Flo Clifford2km to go: Up ahead, Van der Poel is 10 seconds behind the leading duo, and it’s going to be between one of these three, surely... Schmid and Abrahamsen simply cannot afford to let the Dutchman back on.
Pogacar crashes!
16:03 , Flo Clifford2.6km to go: Oh my word, Pogacar has just hit the deck, overlapping wheels with another rider, and gets flung across the road. He’s up immediately but has had a mechanical and a neutral service mechanic helps him fix his chain. The rainbow jersey latches onto a group rolling past him and it looks like a teammate has dropped back to help him back on.
The yellow jersey group has knocked the pace off entirely to allow him back on. A sporting gesture.
Vauquelin caught, Vingegaard attacks!
16:00 , Flo Clifford5.1km to go: Vauquelin is brought back by Jorgenson and as the reduced GC group gets near the top of the climb, Vingegaard makes his first attack!
Pogacar brings it back immediately and as they crest the climb Jorgenson fancies another poke of the bear. Visma may be annoying him severely with all these accelerations but they don’t seem to be actually unsettling him at all.
Van der Poel attacks
15:58 , Flo Clifford6.9km to go: The Dutchman accelerates and leaves his companions in his wake, a formidable acceleration, but he’s still 30 seconds off the leading duo... but from here the road descends and then flattens out. Could these groups all come back together?
3’30” behind, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Victor Campenaerts and EF Education-EasyPost lead the peloton onto the Pech David climb - and French hopeful Kevin Vauquelin drops everyone! Healy chases but everyone thinks the Frenchman is a threat and Lipowitz leads the chase, Jorgenson coming to the front next. Roglic and Evenepoel are there too.
10km to go
15:54 , Flo Clifford9.5km to go: Mauro Schmid and Jonas Abrahamsen have dropped their former companions. Van der Poel, Van Aert, de Lie, Ballerini and Laurance are 30 seconds back, with Quinn Simmons, Fred Wright, and Burgaudeau somewhere in between.
The leading duo head onto the day’s final climb, the wall of the Cote de Pech David: 800m long with a very tight corner swinging into it. This climb hits highs from 16-20%. Absolutely brutal.
Quinn Simmons attacks
15:52 , Flo Clifford14km to go: Lidl-Trek’s American national champion Quinn Simmons attacks the chasing group and gets an immediate gap on Mathieu van der Poel! He leaves them behind and up ahead, Mauro Schmid has attacked but been brought back... now Abrahamsen goes, Ballerini is dropped, and both groups are splintering apart now.
Onto the penultimate climb
15:46 , Flo Clifford15km to go: “Consistency of effort and cohesion” is what the front group need, Robbie McEwen says on TNT Sports comms, to hold off the big names in the chasing group. Sean Kelly adds that van Aert’s dig there has actually cost the pursuers some time as they look around at each other and slow down at the top of that climb.
This leading five have done a phenomenal job and still seem to be rotating well. They’re now onto the penultimate climb, the Cote de Vieille-Toulouse, 1.3km at 6.8%. The gap is now around 25 seconds.
Breakaway still clear
15:40 , Flo Clifford21km to go: Groupama-FDJ have knocked things off and it now feels certain that today’s stage winner is coming from one of our first 10 riders on the road.
So far the quintet of Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno X-Mobility), and Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) are holding off the chase group of Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Caps), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers). Those five are some 25 seconds off the pace but there are still two major climbs to go.
Lawrence Ostlere picked Wout van Aert for the stage today, so has a one in 10 chance of getting it right... the Belgian puts the hammer down on an uncategorised rise and shaves a couple more seconds off.
Gap coming down
15:31 , Flo Clifford28km to go: Groupama-FDJ have hit the front now in what looks like an absolutely doomed effort to set things up for their man Romain Gregoire, and they have brought the gap down to 2’15”, but they’re up against Van der Poel and van Aert in the chasing group.
Lotto-Caps come over the radio for a lovely bit of motivation for their sprinter Arnaud de Lie. At 23 the man is hugely talented but has been beset by illness, injury and bad luck in recent years. “You’re with champions, you’re a champion, and you’re going to get a top result today, for your wife too and your family,” his sports director tells him.
His group has narrowed the gap to the leaders to 20 seconds now.
Sprinters dropped
15:22 , Flo Clifford35km to go: Fred Wright has taken the KOM point at the top of Corronsac and the gap has stabilised to the chasing group led by Van der Poel and Van Aert at around 30 seconds, with this first quintet doing brilliantly to hold them off.
Back in the peloton Israel-Premier Tech have come to the front, perhaps miffed that this doesn’t look like it’s coming down to a sprint.
Out the back, a grupetto has been spat out, including Jonathan Milan, Paul Penhoet, and Tim Merlier. The furious pace has not slowed at all.
'The Tour has no mercy'
15:14 , Flo Clifford40km to go: “The Tour has no mercy for anybody,” Soudal Quick-Step’s sports director tells his riders over the radio. Today’s stage has been ridden at around 53km/h so far and is on its way to being a new fastest stage of the Tour, ever, so that feels a fitting message.
Fred Wright takes the point atop the Cote de Montgiscard. Next up is the Cote de Corronsac, a 900m wall at an average of 6.9%.
Of the leading ten riders most of the firepower is concentrated in the second group, who are still 30 seconds or so behind. They count Arnaud de Lie among their number. The sprinter may struggle over these climbs but if he’s still got the legs at the finish, he’s the fastest man on paper.
Climbs begin again
15:06 , Flo Clifford45km to go: There’s plenty of chatter on TNT Sports about someone attacking while the likes of Pogacar and van der Poel were having a nature break, breaking the gentlemen’s agreement that that’s simply not done. But possibly as a result of the endless adverts on TNT, no-one actually knows who the offender was. I’ll keep you posted if I find out.
The leading group are now onto the next categorised climb, the Cote de Montgiscard, which kicks off the second phase of this race: plenty of back-to-back punchy climbs. This one is 1.7km at an average of 5.3%
Abrahamsen wins intermediate sprint
14:52 , Flo Clifford58km to go: Abrahamsen opens up the sprint for the points at Labastide-Beauvoir and just about holds off Ballerini, with their remaining three companions rolling over behind them.
The Van der Poel group is 51 seconds off the pace, with the peloton now more two minutes back. This quintet have also been working well together but now Simmons hops off the front for more points, surprising and holding off Arnaud de Lie, an actual sprinter.
The peloton have fanned out across the road and that officially means the pace has knocked off. They’re now at 2’30” back and the gap is growing by the second... the green jersey Milan leads a sprint for the last few points, easily taking three ahead of Biniam Girmay, who picks up two.
Van Aert and Van der Poel on the attack
14:45 , Flo Clifford62km to go: It’s all kicked off again: the yellow jersey of Ben Healy himself has accelerated, with some rivals for the jersey chasing him down, and off the back of that, a heavyweight group of attackers has just launched, consisting of Quinn Simmons, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Axel Laurance, and Arnaud de Lie.
Sean Kelly notes that the decision of some riders to attack while riders were mid-nature break, including Pogacar, is going to cause “a lot of tension” in the peloton and have serious ramifications not just for this Tour, but for racing in general, breaking a serious unwritten rule on the bike.
3km to the intermediate sprint.
Van Aert tries again
14:35 , Flo Clifford69km to go: On the TNT Sports race motorbike, Romain Bardet says the wind has picked up and the stage has been just as breathless as it looks. He admits he’s happy to be on the motorbike rather than in the bunch - “it’s much easier”.
Van Aert is in one of these small attacking groups which are still going, along with Quinn Simmons, who has just as much pep in his step after the rest day as before. The peloton has brought the quintet back to within 1’29”.
Pogacar out the back
14:26 , Flo Clifford76km to go: False alarm - Pogacar has been off the back, presumably going for a loo break, and is shepherded back onto the front by a UAE lieutenant.
The peloton now sits two minutes back, but there are a couple more groups dotted about the road between the leading quintet and the bunch. Yes, that’s a quintet now: Wright and Burgaudeau have bridged the gap.
Fred Wright on the attack
14:14 , Flo Clifford85km to go: The trio had been brought back to within 25 seconds of the peloton and now British hopeful Fred Wright is on the march, with Mathieu Burgaudeau for company. But the peloton now slows for a drink, and that lead goes back out to 45 seconds, with Wright and Burgaudeau a handful of seconds behind the trio.
Mathieu van der Poel has won the prize for being ‘combatif de la premiere semaine’, the most combative rider of the opening week. He should also, in my view, get some acknowledgement for being teammate of the week, helping Jonas Rickaert onto the tour podium as most combative rider on stage 10, when the pair masterminded a breakaway that kept the sprinters’ teams on their toes - and fulfilled a lifelong dream for Rickaert.
UAE lying low
14:01 , Flo Clifford97km to go: One-third of the way through this stage and it’s still very active. UAE are probably enjoying the respite of not needing to control now that their man is out of yellow - but that does mean that there’s not really been any control at all in the peloton, because EF have been struggling to keep a leash on things, and the attacks just keep coming.
Our intrepid trio up front have 39 seconds on the peloton, with the straggling chase groups caught, and now Van Aert comes back to the fore.
Attacks continue
13:52 , Flo Clifford105km to go: Still no signs of things settling down.
Schmid, Ballerini and Abrahamsen have 45 seconds on an expanded chase group containing Haller, Delettre, and another trio of Frenchmen in Matteo Vercher, Clement Berthe and Bastien Tronchon.
Behind them, the attacks are continuing, but none with the firepower of that early move containing van Aert and Mohoric.
The opening week of the Tour de France showed one chink in Tadej Pogacar’s armour
13:42 , Flo CliffordThe Tour de France was upended on a fascinating stage 10, with the first rest day giving riders – and observers – a chance to take stock after a fascinating opening week.
Bastille Day was billed as the first real test, 4,450m of climbing in the Massif Central. There was to be no French joy but instead delight for Ireland as Ben Healy rode himself into the race lead, half a minute ahead of previous leader Tadej Pogacar.
While Healy is unlikely to represent a long-term threat, where does this unexpected turn of events leave defending champion Pogacar and his key rivals for the title?
The opening week of the Tour de France showed one chink in Tadej Pogacar’s armour
Peloton reforms
13:35 , Flo Clifford118km to go: Interestingly, Kevin Vauquelin has been on the attack, joined by Alexandre Delettre, but has then knocked off his acceleration - perhaps because of this split in the peloton behind. Vauquelin of course is still well-placed on GC, sixth at two and a half minutes back.
The Van Aert group has been caught by the main peloton, which has since re-formed from the two splinter groups.
Marco Haller has joined Delettre as they try to bridge across to the leading trio, still some 45 seconds ahead.
Attacks on the climb
13:28 , Flo Clifford127km to go: The leading trio’s gap grew to a minute but is now down to 45 seconds as another wave of attacks kicks off. Julian Alaphilippe is the first to have a go and looks brilliant for a few seconds... before Wout van Aert moves to the fore and the Frenchman knocks off his effort.
Quinn Simmons, who was on the attack all throughout the first week, is the next to go, with Van Aert on his wheel immediately. The pair form a 10-strong group of chasers.
Abrahamsen takes the KOM point at the top of the climb but their advantage is eroding rapidly.
And there’s a split in the bunch! Evenepoel looks to be caught out, and the yellow jersey of Ben Healy too, being paced on by his teammates...
Yellow jersey contenders weigh in
13:21 , Flo CliffordJonas Vingegaard has a quick chat with TNT Sports before the start of stage 11. He says today’s stage has an “explosive final” and could even come down to a GC fight depending on how the stage plays out, and says Visma will keep attacking Pogacar as they need to put him under pressure. He also says one of the team mechanics gave him a haircut on the rest day and seems extremely zen ahead of the start in Toulouse.
As for Pogacar himself... “the cleaning lady woke us up, she was quite early”, he tells Matt Stephens. He had a busy day too: nice breakfast, easy ride, coffee shop, haircut and massage - just like his rival. He’s had a catch up with his family and says he was actually tired at the end of the rest day. “So far, so good,” he says of the Tour so far. Cool and composed.
Trio up the road
13:14 , Flo Clifford137km to go: Schmid, Ballerini and Abrahamsen are still out front with 45 seconds, but there have been plenty of attempts to join them, all snuffed out.
Nelson Oliveira and Thomas Gachignard are the latest to have a go.
The riders have 5km to go before the day’s first climb, the splendidly-named Cote de Castelnau-d’Estretefonds: 1.5km at an average gradient of 5.9%.
Key points of stage 11
13:08 , Flo CliffordThere are five climbs on the menu today, with the potential to scupper any sprinters’ chances if they’re not careful - and all with the potential to attract an enterprising breakaway.
Four are packed into the final 50km and the final climb of Pech David will be crucial, with a tight turn into it meaning positioning will be of the essence, and the gradient goes up to an eyewatering 20% at points. From there the route flattens out, but that could be the damage done for the fast men.
The climbs are:
- 130km to go - cat-4: Cote de Castelnau-d’Estretefonds (1.4km at 6.6%)
- 45km to go - cat-four: Cote de Montgiscard (1.7km at 5.3%)
- 39km to go - cat four: Cote de Corronsac (0.9km at 6.7%)
- 14km to go - cat-four: cote de Vieille-Toulouse (1.3km at 6.8%)
- 9km to go - Cote de Pech David (800m at 12.4%)
The intermediate sprint, at Labastide-Beauvoir, comes with 59km to go and the potential for crosswinds immediately goes up on the road afterwards.
Milan attacks
13:01 , Flo Clifford148km to go: Jonathan Milan was urged by his team radio to stay close to the bumper of race director Christian Prudhomme’s Skoda... and that was because he’s keen to get up the road. Perhaps an odd move, with green jersey points to pick up at the intermediate sprint much later on. But perhaps an indication that Milan and his Lidl-Trek team do not believe today will be a sprint finish.
Mauro Schmid, Davide Ballerini, and Jonas Abrahamsen are up the road at the moment, with 20 seconds on their chasers. Milan has another go.
Official start
12:52 , Flo CliffordAfter a very long rollout to get out of the city, we’re underway! 157km to go before the finish line back in Toulouse.
Weather check
12:45 , Flo CliffordHere’s what the official Tour site has to say. Crosswinds, anyone?
The peloton of the Tour 2025 return to action with blue skies and maximum temperatures of 30ºC. The wind will be light, with average speeds of around 15 km/h, blowing against the riders in the first and last thirds of the course but favourable during the middle section.
Best young rider classification
12:39 , Flo CliffordAn unusual sight as Remco Evenepoel has been knocked off his perch at the top of the white jersey standings, although he will wear the jersey today on behalf of Ben Healy, who despite his impressive facial hair is in fact only 24 and eligible for the classification. In the long term however Evenepoel looks set to win this one for the second year running.
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) in 37:41:49
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +1’29”
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +2’26”
- Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +3’24”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +3’34”
KOM classification
12:31 , Flo CliffordAfter a week of small-fry climbs stage 10 was notable for having some real punch to it. Lenny Martinez was the big beneficiary, moving up to lead the KOM classification, while Ben Healy is also well-positioned - although the serious climbing is yet to come.
- Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) 27 pts
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) 16 pts
- Michael Woods (Israel-PremierTech) 11 pts
- Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates XRG) 8 pts
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) 8 pts
Points classification
12:25 , Flo CliffordJonathan Milan, winner of stage eight, leads the points classification with Tadej Pogacar himself the biggest threat to his authority.
Milan and fourth-placed Tim Merlier are in the in-form sprinters of the bunch and if today comes down to a bunch sprint are best-placed to take it... but both might struggle on the hills, leaving the door open to Mathieu van der Poel, who sits fifth in the standings.
- Jonathan Milan (Lidl‑Trek) 227 pts
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 163
- Biniam Girmay (Intermarché‑Wanty) 151
- Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick‑Step) 150
- Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin‑Deceuninck) 128
Neutralised start
12:17 , Flo CliffordAnd they’re off, rolling out in Toulouse for a longer than usual depart fictif: 16.5km, with the proper start expected at 12.45pm.
💛😍 Special bike day for Ben Healy 😍💛 #TDF2025 https://t.co/upaQSBSCH1
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2025
Prediction for stage 11
12:11 , Lawrence OstlereThis is a tricky stage to predict, with the sprinters’ teams desperate for a calm day followed by a dash to the line, but facing the prospect of having to chase down a determined breakaway looking for the stage win themselves. It could even be a day for a solo artist to escape clear, just as Ben Healy so expertly triumphed on stage 6.
I would like to go for something of a romantic option – Julian Alaphilippe is one of the greatest one-day riders of his generation but has not triumphed at the Tour de France since 2021. If he gets into a strong breakaway then he has the racing nous to time a decisive launch to the line.
But more realistic is a rider with the legs to crest the hills and a sprint to outgun their rivals down the home straight. Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier both have the firepower to do just that, but I fancy Wout van Aert to take an opportunistic win, either by getting himself in the breakaway or by taking a messy sprint.
Breakaway or sprint day?
12:04 , Flo CliffordToday’s parcours is listed as “flat” in the Tour roadbook, but we all know that rarely means an actual flat stage. The sprinters will obviously hope for a bunch sprint to the line.
But that is no foregone conclusion, with five categorised climbs to clear including four in the 50km, and power riders might be put off by the finale: a loop around the city with a few short, sharp climbs such as the Cote de Pech David (800m at 12.4%) with 9km to go.
The final 6km is flat, so will we see the sprinters there for a showdown or will it be a puncheur breaking clear over the hills who steals the stage?
Who is Ben Healy? The master tactician with an explosive kick leading the Tour de France
11:55 , Flo CliffordThe first week of the Tour de France has seen plenty of expected winners: defending champion Tadej Pogacar has already won two stages to add to his haul of 19 career wins at the race, while Mathieu van der Poel won his first stage since 2021 and a rivalry is developing between the two fastest sprinters, Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier, as they battle for supremacy on the flat.
But by the end of the opening week – actually 10 days, with the first rest day falling after stage 10 – there was an altogether unexpected rider pulling on the leader’s yellow jersey, displacing Pogacar himself.
Ben Healy won stage six from Bayeux to Vire Normandie and his brilliant Tour continued with a third place on stage 10, from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy in the Massif Central, enough to secure the race lead at the expense of the world’s best rider and three-time champion. The 24-year-old made history as only the fourth Irishman to wear yellow, and the first since Stephen Roche nearly 40 years ago.
But who is Healy, and what has his career looked like so far?
Ben Healy: The tactician with an explosive kick leading the Tour de France
Pogacar hopes Healy 'feels tired' ahead of battle for yellow
11:48 , Lawrence OstlereTadej Pogacar has said he hopes Ben Healy “feels tired” ahead of the duo’s upcoming battle over the yellow jersey, after the EF Education-EasyPost rider became the first Irishman in 38 years to wear the maillot jaune.
Healy came third in a punishing Stage 10 through the Massif Central that was won by Britain’s Simon Yates, with Pogacar finishing in ninth on the day, and the Slovenian now trails Healy by 29 seconds in the general classification.
Tuesday, 11 July, marked the first rest day of the 2025 Tour de France, and in lieu of a press conference, Pogacar recorded his comments on the race so far as UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed their traditional coffee-stop ride and lunch.
Speaking on the yellow jersey situation, Pogacar said: “We will see if Ben can hold on to the yellow jersey for a couple of stages.
“I think that he [Healy] spent a lot of time in the breakaway already, so I hope he feels tired and we can fight again for the yellow in the next coming stages – maybe not tomorrow [in stage 11 around Toulouse] but Hautacam and then the time trial [at Peyragudes] and Superbagneres - it's going to be three really nice climbing days.”
Tadej Pogacar responds after Ben Healy takes yellow jersey at Tour de France
What happened on stage 10?
11:41 , Flo CliffordBen Healy was of course the big winner of stage 10, taking third on the stage but much more significantly pulling on the yellow jersey thanks to a gritty and audacious ride, which saw him overhaul a near four-minute deficit to Tadej Pogacar.
The 24-year-old is the fourth Irishman in history to lead the Tour de France and first since Stephen Roche in 1987; while he will have no ambitions of keeping it later in the race, it’s a stunning achievement for both him and his American team EF Education-EasyPost.
He also moved above Remco Evenepoel to lead the best young rider standings, although the Belgian will wear the jersey on his behalf today.
France didn’t get a home-grown winner on Bastille Day, but local climber Lenny Martinez did spend most of the day in the breakaway hoovering up KOM points and now leads the polka-dot classification.
And Simon Yates, of course, picked up his third Tour de France stage win and first in six years(!), proving that the recent Giro d’Italia winner is only getting better with age. Like a fine wine.
General classification after stage 10
11:34 , Flo Clifford- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) in 37:41:49
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +29”
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +1'29”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +1'46”
- Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), +2'06”
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels), +2’26”
- Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), +3’24”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3’34”
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3’41”
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +5’03”
Stage 10 results
11:27 , Flo Clifford- Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) in 4:20:05
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), +9”
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), +31”
- Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), +49”
- Michael Storer (Tudor), +1’23”
- Joe Blackmore (Israel-PremierTech), +3’57”
- Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +4’38”
- Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious), +4’51”
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG),
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), all at same time
Stage 10 recap
11:20 , Flo CliffordLet’s have a quick recap of Monday’s stage 10, a frenetic day of racing that more than justified a day off yesterday...
Irishman Ben Healy rode himself into the yellow jersey with an outstanding display of grit and power as Simon Yates won stage 10 of the Tour de France from a breakaway on the Puy de Sancy.
A monster Bastille Day stage through the Massif Central delivered the fireworks as Healy put in a huge shift in the break to maintain a sizeable gap over the chasing peloton, fighting his way to third on the stage and then counting the seconds until Tadej Pogacar finished.
Pogacar put in a late dig as he traded blows with rival Jonas Vingegaard, but when the world champion came in four minutes 51 seconds behind Yates, 4:20 behind Healy, the yellow jersey swapped shoulders with Healy 29 seconds better off going into Tuesday’s rest day.
Ben Healy dethrones Tadej Pogacar to take yellow jersey as Simon Yates wins stage 10
How to watch the Tour de France
11:15 , Flo CliffordThe 2025 Tour de France will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, in what is the last year of free-to-air coverage of the race before it is exclusively shown on TNT Sports and Discovery+.
Viewers can also stream the race online via ITVX app and website, and subscribers can watch the action on the TNT Sports and Discovery+ apps.
Each stage will packaged into hourly highlights shows on ITV4, typically starting at around 7pm BST. The highlights can be streamed on ITVX with the website and app.
Stage 11 route map and profile
11:10 , Flo Clifford
Stage 11 start time
11:06 , Flo CliffordBonjour and welcome to stage 11!
The riders roll out for the neutralised start at 1.15pm local time, 12.15pm BST, with an expected finish time of 5.05pm local time (4.05pm BST).
Tour de France stage 11 preview: Route map, profile and start time as Ben Healy wears yellow in Toulouse
11:00 , Lawrence OstlereThe Tour de France rarely disappoints but this year’s race has been utterly absorbing from the get-go when crosswinds blew apart the peloton on stage 1, and there’s every reason to think stage 11 will serve up another thrilling day.
Not many predicted Ireland’s breakaway artist Ben Healy would own the famous yellow jersey on the first rest day of this Tour, but that’s exactly what has unfolded after some tactical brilliance on Monday’s stage 10 helped him gain more than three minutes on Tadej Pogacar to depose the reigning champion at the top of the GC standings, while Simon Yates won the stage itself.
Not that Pogacar – who enjoyed coffees and a giant burger on Tuesday’s rest day – plans on lending Healy the maillot jaune for long.
Ben Healy wears yellow jersey on stage 11 as Tour de France resumes in Toulouse
Tour de France – stage 11 live
Tuesday 15 July 2025 23:50 , Lawrence OstlereHello and welcome along to live updates from stage 11 of the 2025 Tour de France.
