Caleb Ewan proved the fastest finisher on the 11th stage of the Tour de France, narrowly pipping his rivals to victory in a hotly contested finale.

Ewan’s Lotto Soudal team-mates had worked hard to bring a trio of late escapees back before dropping him into position on the long finishing straight, and the Australian repaid those efforts after going toe-to-toe with Peter Sagan (BORA – Hansgrohe), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) and Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma) in the dying seconds.

Ewan snatched victory with a bike throw at the line, pushing Sagan into second place and Bennett into third in what proved to be a blanket finish.

That performance earned the Australian his second stage win of the race, and the fifth Tour win of his career.

Elsewhere, Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) was awarded the same time as Ewan which meant he defended his 21-second lead over Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) in the General Classification. Bennett meanwhile, retained his grip on the green jersey with Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R La Mondiale) still in polka dot.

After the stage Ewan said: “It was a very hectic finish. I knew I had to wait for the right gap to open and it did in the end, and I had a real desire to win today after yesterday. I’m happy to repay my team-mates again with the win.”