TOUR DE FRANCE 2025 – STAGE 11: TOULOUSE - TOULOUSE
https://www.letour.fr/en/news/2025/stage-11/abrahamsen-what-a-first/1328895
Abrahamsen, what a first!
The stage film July 16 th 2025 - 17:24
Tour de France 2025 | Stage 11 | Toulouse > Toulouse
A hair-raising stage 11 around Toulouse saw Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) lead the way from kilometre 0 all the way to the finish! The Norwegian was the first attacker right at km 0, with Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) on his wheel. Behind them, the pace was relentless, with loads of riders eager to make the most of a punchy course. But in the end, the first two attackers were also the first two to reach the line in Toulouse, as Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) came 7 seconds shy of reeling them in. Already a hero of the Tour 2024 with his many breakaways, Abrahamsen takes his first Grand Tour victory, as well as Uno-X Mobility’s first. In the finale, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) crashed, but he quickly got back up and finished in the same time as his GC rivals, ahead of three key stages in the Pyrenees.
Back to action. After the first rest day, 172 riders face a punchy 156.8-km loop around Toulouse. There are 1,750 metres of elevation to overcome today, with most of the climbs packed in the finale.
A brutal battle from the gun
Ahead of the last ascents of the day, attackers are inspired from the gun. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) sets off as soon as the peloton pass km 0. He’s followed by Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana).
The trio of attackers work well together but many more riders want to get on the move. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is very aggressive, and so are Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Kévin Vauquelin (Ark-B&B Hotels), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ)…
With so many riders attacking again and again, the three early attackers struggle to open a significant gap despite covering 51.7 km in the first hour. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies) make it a 5-man lead group at km 74.
Even Healy attacks
The gap to the bunch eventually hits one minute… But more counter-attackers want to make the break. The bunch explodes and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) himself attacks with 65 kilometres to go! Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) follows him, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) must react!
Stragglers get back. And attackers set off again - this time, Simmons puts the hammer down with , he’s followed by Van Aert, as well as Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto). As the calm returns to the bunch, these five attackers work together to chase the five leaders.
Schmid and Abrahamsen set off
Already into the last 50 kilometres, the road rises with the main uphill challenges of the day. The gap from the five leaders to the five chasers stabilise around 30’’ while the peloton trail by 2’30’’.
Schmid attacks on the penultimate climb - côte de Vieille-Toulouse (summit at km 142.5) - and Abrahamsen joins him at the front. Behind them, Simmons sets off in pursuit.
As they face the mighty Côte de Pech David (800m at 12.4%), Schmid and Abrahamsen are 20’’ ahead of Simmons, Burgaudeau and Wright, while the group with Van der Poel trails by 30’’. Over the top, Van der Poel is the first chaser (+20’’).
Pogacar crashes, Abrahamsen wins
In the peloton, Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) attack but Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) reacts and the GC contenders get back together for the final run-in to Toulouse, marked by the Slovenian’s crash with 6 km to go. He quickly gets back up and his rivals wait for him.
At the front, nobody waits for nobody. Van der Poel moves closer and closer to the lead duo but he is 7 seconds shy of catching them. A very tight sprint eventually crowns Abrahamsen, claiming his first ever Grand Tour win. The GC contenders finish together on the eve of a great battle to Hautacam.
***
1: ABRAHAMSEN NEW WINNER
Jonas Abrahamsen raises his arms for the first time in his third Tour, having already competed in 2023 and 2024. He previously had two podium finishes: 3rd in Bourg-en-Bresse in 2023 (stage 18), 2nd in Bologna in 2024 (stage 2). It comes 409 days after his first professional victory, achieved at the 2024 Brussels Cycling Classic.
1: UNO-X MOBILITY FOR THE FIRST TIME
Jonas Abrahamsen gives Uno-X Mobility its first Tour victory. The Norwegian team had previously achieved six podium finishes with Abrahamsen (2), Alexander Kristoff (2), Tobias Johannessen (1), and Soren Waerenskjold (1). Today was its 53rd stage, just like Abrahamsen, who made his Tour debut with the team. The Tudor team, participating for the first time, is now the only of the 2025 peloton without a win.
156: FROM START TO FINISH
Jonas Abrahamsen attacked from the start of the stage, completing the 156.8 kilometers of the day at the front. This is the first victory by a rider who started a breakaway at kilometer zero since Kasper Asgreen in Bourg-en-Bresse in 2023 (stage 18). The same day, Abrahamsen finished 3rd, securing his first Tour podium (and even top-10).
2: SWITZERLAND, SO CLOSE
Second, Mauro Schmid is the first Swiss rider on a stage podium since Stefan Küng's 2nd place in the Laval time trial in 2021, four years ago. For a road stage, the last podium finish was five years ago: Sébastien Reichenbach 3rd in Villard-de-Lans (Tour 2020, stage 16). 2020 is also the year of the last Swiss victory, achieved by Marc Hirschi in Sarran.
8: DE LIE STILL SEARCHING HIS FIRST VICTORY
Fourth, Arnaud De Lie finished in the top 5 of a Tour stage for the 8th time. He's also the best young rider of the day. He is the only rider to have a top 5 finish in three of the last four stages (5th in Laval, 3rd in Châteauroux, 4th in Toulouse).
20: A SUCCESSOR TO KRISTOFF
Jonas Abrahamsen claimes Norway's 20th Tour victory, the first since Alexander Kristoff in Nice in 2020 (stage 1). He's the 6th Norwegian rider to win after Thor Hushovd (10 times), Kristoff (8), Edvald Boasson Hagen (3), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (1), and Dag-Otto Lauritzen (1). Lauritzen opened the road by winning the 14th stage of the Tour 1987 in Luz-Ardiden.
1903: TOULOUSE, PAST AND PRESENT
Toulouse, along with Paris, is the only stage city from the first Tour de France in 1903 to be in the 2025 program. This is the 27th time the "Pink City" has hosted a stage start, and also a stage finish. The last two ended in a bunch sprint – Mark Cavendish in 2008 and Caleb Ewan in 2019. For a victory achieved in a different configuration (like today), you have to go back to Juan Antonio Flecha in 2003.
3: A BRAVE NORWEGIAN
Jonas Abrahamsen won two combativity awards last year, in Bologna (stage 2) and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (stage 8). Receiving this award for the 3rd time today, he is the Norwegian with the most prizes. The other five have only won it once each (Dag-Otto Lauritzen in 1988, Thor Hushovd in 2009, Vegard Stake Laengen in 2017, Sven Erik Bystrom in 2022, and Tobias Johannessen in 2024).
10: HEALY IN YELLOW BEFORE THE PYRENEES
Ben Healy keeps his Yellow Jersey, his second and Ireland's 10th. He has one more than his compatriot Sean Kelly, and closes in on Seamus Elliott (4) and Stephen Roche (3), on the eve of a mountain stage where his jersey will be in danger.
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