Stage 11 of the 2026 Tour de France was officially the fastest in the race’s history, with the peloton averaging a staggering 50.9kph for 3 hours, 10 minutes and 6 seconds.
The flat 161.3km stage from Vichy to Nevers was won by Uno-X Mobility’s Søren Wærenskjold – his first Tour de France stage win, after finishing second on stage 7.
There were plenty of attackers for the breakaway in the opening kilometres of the stage. Tudor’s Julian Alaphilippe was among the attackers alongside Lotto-Intermarché’s Baptiste Veistroffer, who has developed a reputation for getting into a breakaway, and Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Mathieu van der Poel.
The break settled with Alaphilippe, Uno-X Mobility’s Anthon Charmig, Movistar’s Nelson Oliveira and TotalEnergies’ Mathis Le Berre.
Alaphilippe was dropped on the Côte de Billy-Chevannes, leaving three riders in the breakaway.
After holding the gap at just over 1 minute, the break only had 20 seconds over the peloton with 10km to go. The peloton eventually caught the attackers with 6km to go.
The closing kilometres of the stage were cagey, before NSN Sports picked up the pace with 2km to go.
After the stage, Wærenskjold said he thought he was too far back, which was the same feeling he had before winning the 2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. But the road opened up and the Norwegian found himself at the front of the race, with Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen finishing second and third.
“It means everything. It’s my biggest win so far,” Wærenskjold said.
Breaking a 27-year-old record
The previous record for the fastest stage stood for 27 years. Mario Cipollini averaged 50.3kph to win stage 4 of the 1999 Tour de France, where he covered 194.5km in 3 hours, 51 minutes and 45 seconds.
Stage 9 of the 2025 Tour de France came close to Cipollini’s average speed. The sprint stage from Chinon to Châteauroux saw Tim Merlier average 50kph over the 174km route to take the win. The stage was animated by a two-up breakaway from teammates Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert before they were caught with 700m to go.
Like last year’s stage 9, the high speed of today’s stage was aided by the relatively flat course and a slight tailwind.
Tailwinds often contribute to high average speeds. Stage 7 of the 2020 Giro d’Italia is the fastest ever of the Italian Grand Tour, where crosswinds contributed to an average speed of 51.234kph.
Crosswinds also animated stage 17 of the 2019 Vuelta a España, which is the fastest recorded race over 200km. Philippe Gilbert won the stage with an average speed of 50.63kph over 216km.
Faster than ever
Away from flat stages and crosswinds, the Tour de France is still faster than ever. Last year was the fastest-ever edition with an average speed of 42.8491kph.
Aerodynamics have contributed to the increase in speed. “Cycling has become an arms race. The bikes, the wheels, the clothing… If you’re not dialled in, you’ll be left behind,” Team Jayco-AlUla’s Luke Durbridge told BikeRadar in 2024.
Advancements in nutrition have also contributed to an increase in speed, with riders now able to consume close to 120g per hour to fuel their muscles through a race.
