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Rolling Through TdF26-76
As the four-man breakaway hit a rise in the road, Julian Alaphilippe dropped off the back, not having the legs to hang with the other three. Without the one they thought would most likely beat them in the sprint, the trio of Nelson Oliviera (Moivstar), Mathias Le Berre (TotalEnergies), and Anthon Charmig (Uno X-Mobility) continued to work together, each sharing their pulls on the front. Surprisingly, they actually increased their advantage over the peloton despite this being the fastest stage in the history of the Tour de France. The record was set way back in 1999. The 113th Tour keeps setting new records daily. I'm going to guess that this is the most riders to start an eleventh stage of the Tour as well. Having sped up, it was still unlikely the sprinters and their teams were going to let them stay off the front by the time they reach Nevers. At this point they still had twenty-one kilometers to go and only had an advantage of forty-five seconds. Clearly, not enough to claim the day.