Tour de France 2025: Abrahamsen wins fast and furious stage 11 as Pogacar falls in Toulouse – as it happened
Stage 11 race report: What a day!Such a dramatic end to a speedy and tense stage.It had breakaways, attacks, big names and chaotic scenes.Of stage 11, Ben Healy said: “I think I’ve lost a few years of my life on that stage.” That probably sums up how the peloton found today’s unrelenting stage.For today’s winner though, it was a dream come true, with Jonas Abrahamsen having broken his collarbone only four weeks ago and not even knowing whether he would make the Tour or not.
Now, he has an epic stage win under his belt.Kudos to Mauro Schmid who spent much of the day in the breakaway and was pipped on the finish line, and hopefully Tadej Pogačar isn’t feeling too sore after his crash at the end of today’s stage.As always, thank you so much for reading the blog and for all your messages.Apologies if I didn’t get round to answering your TdF questions.I’ll try to get to them when I’m next on the Tour blog on Friday, so come join me then.
Tomorrow, tune in for another Guardian Tour de France blog from my sports colleagues.Here are the pictures from today’s podium in Toulouse:Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X Mobility has spoken to reporters after winning stage 11.The Norwegian rider said:I broke my collarbone four weeks ago at the Baloise Belgium Tour and I cried in the hospital thinking I wouldn’t make the Tour.The next day, Abrahamsen was on the turbo trainer.Asked what was going through his mind, Abrahamsen answered:I was thinking ‘I have to win this stage, I have to win this stage’ … It was my dream to win a stage of the Tour de France.
Abrahamsen added:I know I have a pretty good sprint and we had been out for a long time, so I had to be smart and not go over the limit.We were working so hard to get the gap all day so it’s great to get the vcitory.I’m so, so happy.Seperately, one of Abrahamsen’s team in the Uno-X Mobility car screamed in joy and said “its a new level of emotion wining a stage of the Tour”.Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), 27ptsBen Healy (EF Education-Easypost), 16ptsMichael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), 11ptsTim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates XRG), 8ptsThymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), 8ptsJonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), 231ptsTadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG), 163ptsMathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), 156ptsBiniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), 154ptsTim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), 150ptsAs mentioned previously, there was someone on the course as the leaders headed towards the finish line.
You can see in the below image that it was a protester wearing a T-shirt with the message ‘Israel out of the Tour’ that ran on to the final strait, before being restrained by security.Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) 41hrs 1mins 13secsTadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG), +29secsRemco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +1min 29secsJonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +1min 46secsMatteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), +2mins 6secsKévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), +2min 26secsOscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL), +3mins 24secsFlorian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3mins 34secsPrimož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +3mins 41secsTobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +5mins 3secs1.Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) 2.Mauro Schmid (Jayco Alula) 3.Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), +7secs 4.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Caps), +53secs 5.Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), +53secsThe GC group have crossed the line.They finish with a gap of 3mins 28secs.Tadej Pogačar is there and he thanks the others for waiting for him.Ben Healy keeps the yellow jersey for another day!Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco-Alula) sprint for line but Abrahamsen gets there first.
Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wasn’t able to catch them,There was a member of the public on that final finish straight but they were tackled into the barriers by one of the race organisers,What drama!1,5km to go: Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco-Alula) have to work together to stay away from Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) before they can think about racing each other,3km to go: The other riders are sitting up and allowing Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) to get back.
Van der Poel is powering towards Abrahamsen and Schmid – he’s got the gap down to below 10secs.4km to go: Tadej Pogačar crashes.He’s OK but could lose time as he’s outside the safe zone.He’s back on his bike and trying to get towed back.5km to go: With 5km to go, Van der Poel is shrinking the gap between him and Abrahamsen and Schmid.
They only have a 14sec gap now,6km to go: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacks! Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) follow,It’s chaos out there,7km to go: Now the peloton are climbing,Kévin Vauquelin attacks and Ben Healy tries to follow.
Van der Poel is 24secs behind the breakaway.9km to go: The crowds lining this climb are amazing.Such big groups of spectators, what we love to see on the climbs.Burgaudeau drops Simmons and Wright.Van der Poel overtakes and attacks.
He’s off and away!10km to go: Abrahamsen and Schmid start the final climb of today – it’s the category three Côte de Pech David (8oom at 12.4%).12.7km to go: So there’s been a lot of change in the last few minutes.Abrahamsen and Schmid attacked and are 19 secs ahead of a chasing group that now consists of Simmons, Wright and Burgaudeau.
Then trailing behind them are: Van der Poel, Van Aert, Laurance, De Lie and Ballerini.14km to go: It’s all coming apart for the breakaway! Ballerini is dropped and caught by the chasers.Abrahamsen leads the way to the summit and Schmid is on his wheel.Wright gets distanced.15km to go: The breakaway are on the penultimate climb of the day: Côte de Vieille-Toulouse (1.
3km at 6.8%).The chasing group follow and Quinn Simmons attacks! He gets away from Van der Poel.Paul asks:I’m interested to know how many of the new yellow cards have been handed out so far in the Tour- and to who and for what reason ?The UCI lists all the yellow cards issued and you can filter by competition here.According to the UCI’s data, there have been seven sanctions in the Tour de France 2025 so far (four for riders and three for team members).
It lists them as:Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) on stage three.Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) on stage three.Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) on stage three.Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) on stage three.Eric Vanderaerden (Alpecin-Deceuninck) on stage 10.
Pablo Ordorica Martínez (Movistar) on stage 10.Iván Velasco Murillo (Movistar) on stage 10.The reason given for the riders’ sanctions on stage three is:Deviation from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers another rider or irregular sprint (including pulling the jersey or saddle of another rider, intimidation or threat, blow from the head, knee, elbow, shoulder, hand, etc.).And the reason for the team members’ sanctions on stage 10 is:Non-compliance with the article 2.
3.025 by a team assistant during feeding.20km to go: Ineos Grenadiers’ Axel Laurence directeur sportif has radioed him to say that the winner of today’s stage will come from the group of five chasing.What do you think? Will the break stay away? Or no chance?28km to go: That chasing group of Van der Poel, Van Aert, Simmons, Laurance and De Lie managed to get the time between them and the breakaway to less than 20secs but it’s oscillating.The breakaway are speeding downhill.
EF Education-EasyPost cover the front of the peloton, with yellow jersey leader Ben Healy safely tucked between them.32km to go: Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier and Lenny Martinez are part of a 50-man group dropped from the bunch.They’re about 1min 15secs behind the peloton.At the other end of the race, the Van der Poel group is 27secs behind the breakaway.Here’s how it’s looking out there on stage 11:38km to go: Wright takes another KOM point at the summit of the Côte de Corronsac.
The chasers come through 25secs behind and the peloton are 2mins 30sec behind the break,40km to go: The riders are about to go uphill again,In a few hundred metres, there’s the Côte de Corronsac (900m at 6,7%),Fred Wright is looking strong heading towards the summit.
45km to go: The breakaway have just reached the summit of the category four Côte de Montgiscard (1,7km at 5.3%).Fred Wright is first and takes the single KOM point.The chasing group has brought the gap down to 25secs.It’s a strong group of five riders: Mathieu Van der Poel, Quinn Simmons, Axel Laurance, Wout Van Aert and Arnaud De Lie.
Joe has got in touch and has a message for Huw (see 2,22pm BST):If I were Huw and had a decent data plan on my phone, I would disconnect it from the work wifi, and stream the race on my phone,Bypass that work network, and you’re golden,48km to go: The group of five (Wright, Schmid, Ballerini, Burgaudeau and Abrahamsen) have stretched their lead to 2min 25secs,The chasing group with Van der Poel in it is about 30secs behind the leaders.
Mark has messaged in and shared a lovely memory.He says:For my son’s golden birthday (he turned 14 on Bastille Day 2013) we followed the tour on its 100th anniversary year.Remains our favourite holiday...
I am hoping to one day cover the Tour Femmes.Sounds like wonderful memories! Yes, the Tour de France Femmes is worth going to watch.I was lucky enough to go one year and follow along in a team car for journalistic purposes.57km to go: Abrahamsen crossed the line first on the intermediate sprint, followed by Ballerini and Schmid.Results of the intermediate sprint1.
Abrahamsen, 20pts 2.Ballerini, 17pts 3.Schmid, 15pts 4.Wright, 13pts 5.Burgaudeau, 11pts.
..+50secs 6.Simmons, 10pts 7.De Lie, 9pts 8
Why homemade stir-fry sauces are always better than bought in ones | Kitchen aide
Most stir-fry sauces are sweet, dense and cloying. Any lighter, fresher alternatives?Louis, Falmouth If Julie Lin, author of Sama Sama: Comfort Food from my Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen, were to hazard a guess, it would be that Louis is buying shop-bought sauces: “They’re always sweet and dense,” she says. “There’s a phrase we use in Malaysia, agak agak, which means to season until you know that it’s good for you.” And that’s only ever going to come from making it yourself, which for Lin often means her “master wok” sauce. To make a bottle, she combines 75g white sugar, three teaspoons of MSG, and 75ml rice-wine vinegar, and whisks until the sugar dissolves
‘Don’t ever assume there’s anything to eat!’ 29 tips for perfect vegan holidays, from where to go to how to order
Nowhere should be out of bounds just because you have a plant-based diet. Seasoned travellers explain how to stay happy and hunger-free, whether you’re trekking in Thailand or on a mini-break in BerlinThis spring, I spent five weeks travelling around Mexico – my longest time away from home since becoming a vegan two and a half years ago. It was a learning experience: lots of incredible vegan food, gallons of fall-back guacamole and the odd cheese-related disaster. This is what I found out about being a vegan on holiday, and the advice I received from more seasoned vegan travellers.“I have been completely blown away by the difference in attitude and progressiveness of places,” says Alexis Gauthier, a Michelin-starred vegan chef
Georgina Hayden’s recipe for red curry chicken and courgette burgers
I present to you my new favourite summer burger, which has been on our menu at home ever since its arrival in my kitchen. It’s one of those recipes where the ease is almost embarrassing. How can something so delicious be so straightforward? The burgers themselves are a simple food processor job; if you don’t have one, use chicken mince and make sure you really mix in the curry paste and courgette by hand. The accompaniments are also key: the lime-pickled shallots, the abundance of herbs and the creaminess of the mayo all work so well together. Turn up to a barbecue with a tray of these and I guarantee you’ll be dishing out the recipe in no time
Five beef patties, four cheese slices, bacon, lettuce, tomato … Burger King’s sumo of a burger enters the ring
Japan can legitimately claim to be home to some of the best food on the planet. But it usually has little appetite for supersizing it.That changed on Friday with Burger King’s gargantuan but curiously named Baby Body Burger, tipping the scales at nearly 680g (1.5lb). As part of a collaboration with the Japan Sumo Association, whose July wrestling tournament has just started, the burger checks in at 1,876 calories
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for cashew rice bowls with stir-fried tofu, broccoli and kimchi | Quick and easy
These were an absolute hit with my children, albeit minus the cashews, and as any parent with toddlers who refuse to let their food touch other food will know, that’s a breakthrough. It’s well worth making the whole quantity here, because any leftovers are perfect for fried rice the next day – just make sure you cool the rice after making it, then refrigerate immediately and reheat until piping hot the next day.Kimchi brings a lovely contrast, so if you have or can get some, do add it.Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 4200g white or basmati rice4 garlic cloves, peeled, 3 finely grated, 1 left whole 75g cashew nuts2 tbsp sesame oil 7-8cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced1 small head broccoli, roughly chopped into 1cm pieces280g firm tofu, roughly chopped into 1cm cubes1 tsp flaky sea salt½ tsp turmeric Juice of 1 limeTo serveKimchiSliced red chilli (optional)First, cook the rice, and this is my magic microwave method: you’ll need a large Pyrex bowl and a plate that will neatly cover the top and act as a lid. Put the rice, 400ml just-boiled water and the whole garlic clove in the bowl, cover with the plate and cook on medium (that is, if your microwave’s maximum power setting is 1,000W, you want to cook it at 800W) for 11 minutes
Grilled sardines and tomato and anchovy pie – Irina Janakievska’s Balkan recipes for summer
Along the Adriatic coast, sardines are usually grilled over an open fire (na gradele) and served with lemon, excellent local olive oil and blitva, a side dish of young swiss chard, potato and garlic. Fresh sardines are key (they should smell of the sea) and do cook them whole (the heads add wonderful flavour and the small bones soften during cooking). On the Croatian island of Vis, two beloved pogačas (bread)– viška and komiška – tell a tale of friendly rivalry. Both are savoury bread pies (pogača being the word for bread and similar in both composition and etymology to Italian focaccia) filled with onions and salted fish (typically anchovies or sardines), a nod to the island’s ancient fishing and seafaring heritage. The key difference? Tomatoes
The left must learn to take (and make) a joke | Letters
Stephen Colbert on Paramount’s $16m settlement with Trump: ‘Big fat bribe’
London arts centre to amplify global majority voices and ‘urgent questions’
‘I broke down in the studio from all the raw emotion’: Richard Hawley on making The Ocean
Rosie O’Donnell dismisses Trump’s threat to revoke her US citizenship
Artist or activist? For Juliet Stevenson and her husband, Gaza leaves them with no choice