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68km to go: The gap to the bunch is down to 26sec as the race approaches the final climb of the day. The bunch is going to have to deal with more attacks at this rate, with the escapees so close, and especially approaching a climb – albeit a very small one.
PEDERSEN: 'I STILL BELIEVE I CAN WIN'
Lidl-Trek rider Mads Pedersen already has one stage under his belt, having won in Limoges on stage eight. Now he wants to try for another today, he says.
"It's a tough sprint and I miss the speed in these [flat] sprints," he said. "But I still believe I can win."
"We believe it's still possible, but everything has to be 100% correct. We know Jasper and so on, these guys are pretty fast in these flat sprints. It's not going to be easy but we still believe in it."
78km to go: Montluçon is a riot of colour with big crowds as the bunch passes through. There are puddles on the road, but right now it isn't raining.
81km to go: The potential rain that was forecast for today looks as though it's going to make an appearance in a little while. Whether that means a wet and dicey finish in Moulins we'll have to wait and see. Let's hope not.
85km to go: Well, my assertion at the start of the day that it could go either way bit the dust a long time a go. There's only one way today's stage is ending, and that's in a bunch sprint.
The break are now at 55sec. What you might call the goldilocks zone, at least for the sprinters' teams.
On these straight roads the peloton can see their quarry ahead of them and the break can see them behind. They're looking demoralised.
92km to go: That gap to the break is now under a minute for the first time since a few kilometres after it was formed. It's at 50sec and dropping.
99.9km to go: We're into the final 100km. There's one categorised climb between here and the finish - the fourth category Côte de la Croix Blanche - which comes in around 40km time.
Don't hold your breath for excitement, though. It's 1.6km at 5.4% - child's play for the Tour de France peloton.
105km to go: Let's remind ourselves of the situation on the road. A breakaway trio of Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost), Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) and Mathis Louvel (Arkéa-Samsic) have a 1-23 advantage up the road.
The mood is calm and the peloton is undoubtedly banking on a sprint finish.
(Image credit: Getty)
108.5km to go: Jasper Philipsen pips Bryan Coquard for some minor sprint points. The photo finish confirms it. The Belgian extends his whopping lead in the green jersey classification.
110km to go: Louvel sweeps up maximum points through the intermediate sprint in Lapeyrouse. We'll find out in two minutes if the green jersey hopefuls try for some spoils.
113km to go: The chase to the peloton is being led by Lotto Dstny, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Jayco AlUla and Soudal-Quick Step - the four biggest sprint teams.
120km to go: The race commentators are getting more excited about shots of viaducts than any of the action on the road. Not every stage can be a fireworks display, folks.
124km to go: The gap to the breakaway has now stretched out to 1-30, but it's likelihood of lasting to the line are slim. Soudal Quick-Step are keeping them on a tight leash, as they hope to set up a sprint finish for Fabio Jakobsen.
131km to go: The breakaway trio is currently on the Côte de Mercurol - a 2.9km climb pitched at 4.4%. The peloton is just 1-15 behind.
None of today's breakaway has any individual results of note this year. Amador was part of a ride to second place in the UAE Tour team time trial in February (and is in fact the only rider of the three to have scored a Grand Tour victory – Giro d'Italia 2012).
Matis Louvel has the best individual result of the three with seventh place in April's Brussels Cycling Classic.
While extremely unlikely at this point, a win today for any of them would be a season – indeed a career – highlight.
142km to go: That gap now down to less than two minutes – 1.40. The breakaway is being sent a message in no uncertain terms by the bunch. "Today ends in a sprint".
148km to go: Matis Louvel takes the single point on offer over the Côte de Chaptuzat-Haut, and does so completely unopposed by his two fellow breakaways.
The gap has dropped considerably during the course of the ascent – it's now 2.18.
"We wanted Andrey Amador to be in a group of 15 today," admits EF Education DS Andreas Klier, "We had some question marks, but now there's now way back."
149km to go: The leading trio hit the slopes of that first climb, with a slowly reducing gap which is now 2.35.
152km to go: Not long until that first classified climb, the Côte de Chaptuzat-Haut. How will it affect proceedings?
"We just have to be patient, our luck will be there," Jonas Vingegaard tells GCN as he looks ahead to the Alps.
158.1km to go: Well, the bunch seems to have rapidly lost interest again, with the gap to the break going out to 3.08. Seems reasonable – there's still a long, long way to go.
160km to go: It's so, so flat around here. Proper big horizon country. Which the riders will no doubt appreciate, especially after an extremely hard day yesterday.
161km to go: The break is now out to 2.16 but the bunch behind is definitely showing an interest and the time gap has stopped widening half so fast.
Soudal-Quick Step, in the service of Fabio Jakobsen, is all over the front of the bunch.
165.9km to go: The gap up to the leading trio now up to 1.48. How much rope will the bunch allow them?
170km to go: That trio already has 1.15 on the peloton, which is lined out across the road and in tickover mode.
"If it's only three riders it's not a problem", comes the message from the Soudal-Quick Step team car.
172.8km to go: A thumbs-up from Valentin Madouas back in the peloton. Bon Anniversaire!
173km to go: Amador has got those companions he wanted. He's been joined by Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) and Matis Louvel (Arkéa-Samsic). The bunch is, apparently, more than happy to let them go.
178km to go: Andrey Amador of EF Education-EasyPost just hanging off the front. It looks as though he's waiting - hoping - for someone to join him.
178.4km to go: He's back on and the race is go! Albeit at a very leisurely pace.
179.8km to go: They've reached the start but it's been pushed back as the race waits for Yvgeniy Fedorov to get back on after a (very early) puncture.
Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) given the accolade of mellieur equipier – best team-mate – of week one by the Tour de France organisation this morning.
We reckon he'd exchange that for a stage win. He could well do exactly that today.
179.8km to go: 'There's a lot of road furniture, and it could be really fast in the beginning', comes the warning from the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty team car to its riders. Four k's to the start proper now.
179.8km to go: The peloton rolling gently away from Clermont-Ferrand now, heading for the 'départ reel' 8km away.
JAKOBSEN: 'TODAY WE WILL TRY AGAIN'
Fabio Jakobsen says it's likely his crash on stage four is still causing him problems, "but I don't want to keep using that as an excuse".
"Right now I think the level is what it is," said the Soudal-Quick Step sprinter, who has struggled in recent stages. "Last sprint I did I didn't have legs any more, 500m to go. Today we will try it again and see if there is something left in the tank to do a sprint."
"I don't want to keep using [the stage 4 crash] as an excuse"🇪🇺 European champion, Fabio Jakobsen spoke ahead of an expected bunch sprint in Moulins 🇳🇱#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/cb8gr3qDknJuly 12, 2023
Mark Cavendish's Astana Qazaqstan leadout man Cees Bol says he is set to contest the sprint for himself today, should the stage finish in a bunch dash.
It comes after Cavendish crashed out of the race on Saturday's stage eight to Limoges.
Dutchman Bol has never won a Grand Tour stage before, though he came close on two occasions in 2020, when he was second and third on stages in the Tour de France.
Peter Sagan reassures Clermont-Ferrand residents that, just because he won't be riding the Tour de France any more, it doesn't mean he'll never be coming back.
🇸🇰Residents of @ClermontFd, do not worry, as @petosagan will come back in your town someday! 🇸🇰Habitants de @ClermontFd, ne vous inquiétez pas, @petosagan reviendra chez vous !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/4EYdKKDuZpJuly 12, 2023
Let's have a look at today's climbs.
The Côte de Chaptuzat-Haut comes first, summiting at 33.8km. It's 1.9km long at 5%.
Next up is the Côte du Mercurol, which the riders complete at 49.5km. This one's 2.9km at 4.6%.
Finally is the Côte de la Croix-Blanche at 118.5km; it's 1.6km long at 5.4%.
It's unlikely any of the sprinters (except maybe for Fabio Jakobsen, who has been in difficulty in recent stages) will have too many issues getting over these.
Today's stage is set to be the last opportunity for the sprinters for some time, with things getting far hillier tomorrow, and then mountainous as the race hits the Alps.
The next time the sprinters could realistically have their day is next Thursday in Bourg-en-Bresse. There's going to be a lot of tapping it out in grupettos between now and then.
A certain French rider may enjoy a few extra cheers today as the race goes through, and not just because he wears the tricolore of the nation's road champion: Valentin Madouas celebrates his 27th birthday. Could he gift himself a stage win? Unfortunately today's stage isn't really Madouas territory, he likes it lumpier.
Clermont-Ferrand, where today's stage starts, has considerable Tour de France pedigree, having featured as a stage town on the race 11 times before – most recently in 2020 when it hosted the start of stage 14. That was won by Søren Kragh Andersen in Lyon.
It also boasts former Tour de France King of the Mountains and multiple stage winner Raphaël Geminiani as one of its sons, while Roman Bardet grew up not far down the road in Brioude.
At the other end of today's stage, the attractive town of Moulins has up to now been the only metropolitan prefecture in France not to have hosted the race. That changes today.
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July 12, 2023 at 10:02PM
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Tour de France stage 11 LIVE: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins - CyclingWeekly
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