Ewan posts first Tour stage win, Alaphilippe keeps yellow

TOULOUSE, France – Tour de France debutant Caleb Ewan sprinted to victory on Stage 11 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, while Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe kept the race leader’s yellow jersey a day before the race enters the high mountains.

Ewan, a 25-year-old Australian, edged fellow sprinter Dylan Groenewegen by a tire’s width and was awarded the victory after photo finish. Elia Viviani placed third.

There was a crash about 30 kilometers from the finish line that left Niki Terpstra with a suspected collarbone fracture and took him out of the race. Overall contenders Nairo Quintana and Richie Porte were also involved in the pile-up but got back on their bikes.

The battle for the general classification is expected to intensify over the next five days, with three mountain stages and a time trial on the program. Thursday’s stage features two first category climbs.