Vingegaard beats Pogacar in sprint to win Tour de France Stage 11 in Massif Central

LE LIORAN, France (AP) - Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey Wednesday but it was two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard who earned a psychological victory after a tough battle that ended in a stalemate in the mountains of the Massif Central.

The pair left all their rivals in their wake and Vingegaard, after closing a big gap to Pogacar in a brutal climb, outsprinted his rival to finish half a wheel ahead for the stage win.

True to his habit of attacking every time he gets the chance, Pogacar tried to move away alone about 32 kilometers from the finish. After getting dropped, Vingegaard kept his head cool and proved to be the fastest in the next ascent to catch his rival.

The pair then stayed together until the finish to gain time on Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. Evenepoel reached the finish 25 seconds behind, with Roglic 55 seconds off the pace, according to provisional results.

Evenepoel trails 1:06 behind Pogacar overall, with Vingegaard in third place, 1:14 back.

The rollercoaster Stage 11 featured four brutal ascents in its second half.

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