Tour de France: Abrahamsen Triumphs in Stage 11, Pogacar Takes a Fall, and Protester Against Israel Detained

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Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen has won stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed despite crashing 4km from the line.

Pogacar fell after hitting the back wheel of another rider, but his rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel sportingly waited for the Slovenian to catch up after he got back on his bike.

Ireland’s Ben Healy retained the leader’s jersey.

Pogacar sheepishly laughed off the tumble.

“I’m a bit beaten up, I’ve been through worse days, but yeah that was unexpected,” he said.

A cyclist wearing a white helmet and white racing jersey.

Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed from the crash, saying he was a “bit beaten up” but had “been through worse days”. Source: AAP / Dirk Waem/Belga/Sipa USA

He was also swift to thank his rivals. “Big respect,” he said of the gesture.

“The race was nearly over but I doubt I would have been able to catch up.”

Pogacar said he had feared the worst when Norwegian Tobias Johannessen rode across the front of him.

“He completely cut me off. I saw my head going toward the sidewalk and I was worried I’d get hurt. Luckily I’ve just lost some skin,” said the three-time champion.

Rider who caused crash apologises, ‘terrified’ of online abuse

Johannessen, a Uno-X teammate of stage winner Abrahamsen, apologised for causing the crash.

“I am terribly sorry for what happened,” he wrote on X. “I was trying to follow a move and I can see that I was too close,” he added.

“I made a mistake … I hope he is as good as he can be after a crash like that.”

Johannessen also expressed his horror at the online abuse he was receiving as a result.

“I would not wish anyone the amount of threats I get in my inbox,” he said. “I am [terribly] sorry but also terrified of the hate from all the people. This feels very scary.”

Pogacar said he felt the fall would hurt him on Thursday’s mountain stage.

“We are ready as a team for Hautacam,” he said of the main obstacle on stage 12. “But a day after a fall like that you are never at your best.”

Pogacar later received the all clear from the team doctor, who said the 26-year-old had “suffered no serious injury”.

“He has some general bruising and abrasions to his left forearm and hip, but is otherwise okay,” UAE’s medical director Adrian Rotunno confirmed.

Healy was next to Pogacar when he fell and narrowly missed coming down with him.

“I didn’t see him fall. I’ll be honest, I was looking somewhere else. That’s possibly what happened to him,” said the 24-year-old Healy, who took the lead at the end of stage 10 in the Massif Central.

Healy retained the overall lead on his first day in the fabled yellow jersey, while Pogacar remains second at 29sec and Evenepoel third, another minute off the pace.

The peloton next heads into the Pyrenees where the first real mountains will test their legs on the legendary Hautacam climb.

“I’m not sure I’ll still have the lead tomorrow night,” said Healy. “It’s a large task but I’ll fight all the way. Either way this has been a real whirlwind for me.”

Thrilling cat-and-mouse duel

Anyone who expected a quiet day was instead treated to a thrilling stage over 156.8km from Toulouse and back, which Abrahamsen unexpectedly won.

Abrahamsen also won the combativity award as he was at the origin of the long-range breakaway that foiled the ambitions of the sprinters.

Abrahamsen then contested a cat-and-mouse duel down the home straight with Swiss Mauro Schmid as the cunning Mathieu van der Poel crept up on them and finished third.

The Norwegian fractured a collarbone two weeks before the Tour.

“Thanks to the team who did everything to get me ready in time,” said Abrahamsen. “They are very good people and I’ve been here since 2017. “I like to have pain in my legs, I’ve been like this since I was 15.”

Following Tuesday’s rest day, Wednesday’s run was billed as a likely sprint finish with 70 points at stake in the sprint standings in Toulouse.

The stage, however, featured five small climbs along the route, ensuring it was constantly fast and nerve-wracking.

When Pogacar fell late on he struggled to put his chain on after sliding across several metres of tarmac.

French climber Lenny Martinez is in the king of the mountains polka dot jersey as the race heads into the Pyrenees and will be the focus for home fans all weekend with further blockbuster crowds expected.

Anti-Israel protester arrested

A protester wearing a T-shirt reading “Israel out of the Tour” was arrested after running onto the final straight of the 11th stage.

The protester, who was also holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran towards the finish line in Toulouse as Abrahamsen won the sprint finale.

A man running on a cycling course being intercepted by a security guard.

The demonstrator’s T-shirt read “Israel out of the Tour”. Source: AAP / Jasper Jacobs/Belga/Sipa USA

The man was intercepted by a race staff member and arrested, the local prefecture said.

Several police officers have been assigned to protect the Israel-Premier Tech team during the Tour. The team was set up by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, but there are no Israeli riders in this year’s race.

With the Gaza war causing international controversy, last year the team said it had asked its riders not to wear jerseys with any reference to Israel while out training as a precaution.

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