PAU, France (AP) German rider Marcel Kittel claimed the 11th stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Wednesday, taking his tally to five stage wins since the start of the race.
Ahead of two hard days in the Pyrenees mountains, Chris Froome finished in the main pack to retain the race leader’s yellow jersey.
A sprint specialist, Kittel has now won 14 Tour de France stages in five appearances at cycling’s showcase event, a record for a German rider.
The stage took the peloton on a flat, 203.5-kilometer (126-mile) run from Eymet to Pau in southwestern France.