Mark Cavendish survives time cut while Luke Rowe eliminated on stage 11 of Tour de France 2021
The green jersey survives another day after a double ascent of Mont Ventoux


Mark Cavendish has survived the time cut on stage 11 of the Tour de France 2021, but Luke Rowe didn't make the finish in time.
The beastly stage starting from Sorgues featured two ascents of the iconic Mont Ventoux over the 198km course, finishing at the bottom of the mountain in Malaucène.
It was a tense day for the sprinters as the stage opened with rapid racing from the flag, as teams battled to get into the breakaway, including Cavendish’s Deceuninck - Quick-Step team-mate Julian Alaphilippe.
The stage went to Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who won solo after making it into the day’s breakaway, with the Belgian champion finishing the stage with a time of 5-17-43, and an average speed of 37.5km/h.
That put the day’s time limit at around 47 minutes, or 15 per cent of the winner’s time.
Things looked close for Cavendish as reports from the roadside suggested he may be eliminated, but the Brit survived another day and finished the stage 40-40 behind the winner, surrounded by his team-mates Michael Mørkœv, Davide Ballerini, and Tim Declerq.
Ineos Grenadiers road captain Luke Rowe wasn't so fortunate, as he finished outside the limit and will not be taking to the start of stage 12, his team confirmed.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
After a gutsy ride today we're sad to confirm that @LukeRowe1990 has crossed the line outside the time limit and will not be able to start tomorrow's stage #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/FEw4n8T8C1July 7, 2021
It was a close call for Team DSM’s Søren Kragh Andersen on stage 11, who made the time cut by around three seconds, finishing 47-36 down on Van Aert.
Cavendish keeps the green jersey for another day, having won three stages of this year’s Tour, including stage 10 into Valence.
>>> How do Tour de France time cuts work?
He now has another opportunity to add to his tally on day 12, a 159km run from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes, which could be decided in the crosswinds.
Cavendish leads the points classification with 218 points, ahead of Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) on 160.
This is the second time Cavendish has had to fight hard to stay in the 2021 Tour, having arrived in Tignes on stage nine with 90 seconds to spare. Meanwhile a number of other riders including Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Nic Dlamini (Qhubeka-NextHash) were eliminated.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
3D printed saddles made just for you—does your rear require one? A review of Posedla’s Joyseat 2.0
Custom down to the name imprinted in the saddle. Posedla makes an impressively well-designed, high-quality product. But is it worth the price tag?
-
'I'm not even sure my coaches know my limits' - British cycling sensation Matthew Brennan wins again
Teenager claims third WorldTour victory of the season and takes leader's jersey at Tour de Romandie
-
Tadej Pogačar was dominant at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but I hope for a competitive Tour de France
The Slovenian has finished on the podium of the last six Monuments, the first man to do so - when will he stop dominating?
-
Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
Danish climber will only ride the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, but will take part in two altitude camps
-
Colombian climbing star and former Vuelta a España winner Lucho Hererra could be investigated over murders of four people
A judge has called for an investigation into the former Vuelta winner who is alleged to have worked with paramilitary groups in Colombia
-
Remco Evenepoel hails end of 'dark period' and announces racing return
Olympic champion says comeback from training crash has been 'the hardest battle of my life so far'
-
'We need to keep the biggest race in the sport free' - Petition calling for Tour de France to remain on free-to-air television reaches 10,000 signatures
As things stand, the Tour will be not be free to watch in 2026, but a petition is seeking to change the way it is categorised by the UK government
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
-
Extra wildcard team approved for Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España
Number of teams to increase from 22 to 23 at men's Grand Tours
-
Jonas Vingegaard out of Volta a Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
Visma-Lease a Bike say two-time Tour de France winner needs more time to recover from wrist injury sustained in France last week