Tour de France 2026 stage 11 shifts the focus back to the sprinters on July 15, with a 161.3km run from Vichy to Nevers one day after Tadej Pogačar extended his overall lead. With 70 points available to the stage winner, the day carries major significance for the green jersey battle, and the route profile points toward a high-speed finish if the sprint teams control the race.
Nevers is a familiar town to Paris-Nice, but the Tour de France has not finished there since 2003, when Alessandro Petacchi won a bunch sprint. That history, combined with the stage’s limited climbing, sets up a clear expectation: the fast men and their teams will want to keep the race together and deliver a sprint on the final avenue bordering the exhibition centre in Nevers.
Route and key points: early sprint, two cat. 4 climbs
The stage starts in Vichy and heads north, with the early intermediate sprint at Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule coming just 27.8km into the day. That timing is important for the points contenders, and it could shape how the opening hour is raced. While there may be a fight for the breakaway as the peloton leaves Vichy, the intermediate sprint is expected to encourage the green jersey contenders’ teams to keep things together at least until after those points are taken.
Shortly after, the first classified climb arrives: the category 4 Côte de Billonnière (1km at 5.8%) at kilometre 32.9, offering 1 point. The preview notes this “tiny blip of a climb” could be where the day’s breakaway goes clear, depending on how aggressively riders and teams approach the early phase once the intermediate sprint is done.
The route then continues through the centre of France, with a notable sequence of river crossings and towns as the race moves toward the finish. After crossing the Allier river in Moulins, the peloton continues toward Decize, where it crosses the Loire after 90 kilometres. With the terrain largely geared toward speed and positioning, these landmarks mark the transition into the latter half of the stage as teams begin to think more seriously about the run-in to Nevers.
The second and final KOM opportunity is the category 4 Côte de Billy-Chevannes (1.4km at 5%) at kilometre 123.4, again worth 1 point. It comes with 37.9km to go, before the race swings west and builds toward the finish. With only two small climbs on the menu, neither offers a large buffer for climbers or puncheurs to reshape the day; instead, they are more likely to be used as launchpads for a move, or as moments where the peloton thins slightly before regrouping.
Organisers’ estimated speeds range from 42 to 46 km/h, with estimated winner times from 3:50:26 down to 3:30:23 depending on pace. Time cut limits are listed between 7% and 9%, with maximum time cuts ranging from 0:16:08 to 0:19:21.
Stage 11 key locations and points
The intermediate sprint at Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (km 27.8) offers points on a 25-20-16-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. The two KOMs are Côte de Billonnière (cat. 4, 1km at 5.8%) at km 32.9 and Côte de Billy-Chevannes (cat. 4, 1.4km at 5%) at km 123.4, each worth 1 point.
What’s at stake: Merlier chasing Pedersen and Girmay
With the overall picture led by Pogačar after stage 10, stage 11’s headline battle is expected to be among the sprinters and the green jersey contenders. Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) is highlighted as a key rider to watch as he tries for a third stage victory. The points situation is central: green jersey holder Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and second-placed Biniam Girmay (NSN) are 80 and 26 points ahead of Merlier, respectively.
Those gaps explain why the intermediate sprint is likely to be raced hard and why the stage win itself matters so much. With 70 points on the line for the stage winner, Merlier is described as needing either a win or second place and top points in the intermediate sprint to grab the green jersey. Pedersen, however, is not expected to concede easily, setting up a direct contest between the teams as they balance breakaway control, sprint-point positioning, and the demands of a fast finish.
Also in the mix is Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who is still seeking his first stage win of the 2026 Tour de France. If the sprint teams execute their plans and the race remains together through the final 40 kilometres, the finishing straight in Nevers is expected to provide the decisive moment for the day’s result and the ongoing points race.