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.
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
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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.
-
Build it and they will come: the rise of Zwift
We tracked down the virtual riding platform's top brass to find out how it all began, and where it's going
By James Shrubsall Published
-
'Absorb the world around you and let your mind wander' - you may find that it's more addictive than data
Leaving the bike computer at home when heading out for a ride could help reboot your cycling
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
Mathieu van der Poel not intimidated by Tadej Pogačar’s form ahead of Milan-San Remo clash
Dutchman starts his 2024 road season at Italian Monument on Saturday
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'We're thinking about it' - drone filming might be used at the Tour de France this year
France Télévisions to discuss drone broadcasts with Tour stakeholders
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I pulled it off and turned everything around' - Brandon McNulty on the ride that changed him
US star grabbed his first ever Grand Tour win at last year’s Giro d’Italia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
British bid to host Tour de France Grand Départ in 2026 abandoned
UK Sport confirms that Tour Grand Départ is now merely an "opportunity" in 2027
By Jeremy Whittle Published
-
Matteo Jorgenson, Visma-Lease a Bike’s new star, continues to impress at Paris-Nice
The American could step into the leaders yellow jersey on Tuesday evening after stage three’s team time trial in Auxerre
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'He’s making history': Paris-Nice reacts to Strade Bianche masterclass from Tadej Pogačar
'He can still surprise us all the time’ João Almeida on Pogačar's performance in Tuscany
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'You have to be open to everything' - Primož Roglič ahead of his Bora-Hansgrohe debut at Paris-Nice
Roglič up against Remco Evenepoel for the first time in 2024 as he gets set for a return to the Tour de France
By Tom Thewlis Published