Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) has taken over the yellow jersey from Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) after winning stage 11 to La Rosière-Espace San Bernardo. The Briton overtook breakaway rider Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton SCOTT) in the last few hundred meters to claim a dramatic win. His team-mate and defending champion Chris Froome moves into second overall.
165 riders started the 108.5-kilometre eleventh stage at Albertville. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) rode away with Romain Sicard (Direct Energie), Damiano Caruso (BMC), Tejay van Garderen (BMC), Warren Barguil (Fortuneo-Samsic) and Dani Navarro (Cofidis) to win one more intermediate sprint at Villard-sur-Doron.
The green jersey holder was first to drop back to the peloton while several counter attacks took shape. Twenty riders formed the front group on the hors-category Montée de Bisanne where Julian Alaphilippe (Quick Step Floors) extended his lead in the KOM competition.
Team Sky led the peloton until Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) launched an attack 5 kilometres before the top of the Col du Pré where defending King of the Mountains Barguil took 20 points in his quest for a second polka dot jersey.
Alaphilippe paid for his efforts on the first Alpine stage and was brought back by the pack. Van Avermaet who has been the race leader for eight days stopped fighting for his position on GC in the ascent to col du Pré. Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Valverde and Geraint Thomas (Sky) were then successively virtual yellow jerseys.
Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton-Scott), Michael Valgren (Astana), Caruso, Barguil and Amaël Moinard (Fortuneo-Samsic) started the final climb to La Rosière in the lead while Tom Dumoulin and Soren Kragh (Sunweb) combined forces with Valverde and Marc Soler (Movistar).
It was an interesting move by Valverde and Dumoulin, two serious challengers of favourites Team Sky. Nieve went solo 9 kilometres before the end. Only in the last kilometre, was he passed by Thomas who had attacked from the main group to catch Dumoulin. After winning the inaugural time trial in Düsseldorf last year, the Welshman took his first road stage of the Tour de France ahead of Dumoulin and Froome who sits in second place overall 1’25’’ down on his team-mate.
