NEVERS, France, July 15 (Reuters) - Norway's Soren Waerenskjold completed a remarkable turnaround at the Tour de France on Wednesday, sprinting to victory on Stage 11 in Nevers just one day after finishing last on the stage to Le Lioran.
The Uno-X Mobility rider launched a long sprint and narrowly held off Dutchman Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM, while Belgian Jasper Philipsen took third place following a review.
Philipsen, of Alpecin-Premier Tech, crossed the line in third place but was initially relegated to 119th after the race jury ruled that he had veered into another rider in the final metres of the frenetic finish.
However, officials later reversed the decision.
The 161.3-km stage from Vichy was completed at an average speed of around 50.9 kph, making it the fastest in Tour history.
"It means everything. It’s my biggest win so far," Waerenskjold said.
"It’s incredible, I have to let it sink in, then I will probably be happier than I look now."
There were no significant changes in the general classification, with defending champion Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG safely finishing in the bunch to retain the yellow jersey.
MERLIER MISSES SPRINT HAT-TRICK
Meanwhile, Belgian Tim Merlier, who had won two previous sprint stages, was unable to complete a hat-trick of victories and finished outside the top 10.
A four-man breakaway featuring Julian Alaphilippe, Mathis Le Berre, Nelson Oliveira and Anthon Charmig sparked much of the day's action after early attacks on wet roads around Vichy.
The peloton, driven by teams backing sprint contenders including Biniam Girmay, Merlier, Max Kanter and later Kooij, kept the gap under tight control, with the last survivors of the breakaway group reeled in inside the final 6 km.
Le Berre claimed maximum points at the intermediate sprint, while Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen extended his lead in the green jersey standings by finishing ahead of Girmay. Charmig swept up both fourth-category climbs as the breakaway battled against a peloton travelling on flat roads, aided by a slight tailwind.
A crash in the feed zone brought down Ben O'Connor, Abel Balderstone and Georg Zimmermann, although all three were able to continue after Zimmermann received medical attention.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; Writing by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru and Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Alison Williams)
