Godon safely through as sprint decides stage 11

Dorian Godon safely negotiated a fast stage 11 of the Tour de France, finishing 21st after a bunch sprint brought the 161-kilometre stage to its conclusion.

Rain greeted the riders at the start, before an aggressive opening phase saw numerous attacks launched in the fight to establish the day’s breakaway. Josh Tarling was active in the early moves but was unable to make anything sick.

Eventually, a quartet featuring Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) escaped with around 150 kilometres remaining, building an advantage of just over two minutes as the peloton settled into the chase.

The relentless pace throughout the afternoon ultimately saw the peloton rewrite the record books, with stage 11 becoming the fastest stage in Tour de France history at an average speed of just under 51km/h.

The bunch steadily reduced the gap throughout the afternoon before bringing the breakaway back inside the final 10 kilometres, setting up an inevitable sprint finish.

Netcompany INEOS were well represented in the closing kilometres, with Michal Kwiatkowski, Tarling, Kevin Vauquelin and Godon all together approaching the finale. The team guided Godon safely into position, with the Frenchman crossing the line 21st as part of the bunch sprint.

Tomorrow is expected to be another opportunity for the sprinters, although three category four climbs should add an extra dimension to the stage.