Tour de France stage 11 predictions and cycling betting tips: Breakaway could profit in Massif Central

Where to watch stage 11 of the Tour de France

Eurosport 1 & ITV4, from 10.30am Wednesday

Best bets

Ben Healy to win stage 11
1pt each-way 18-1 bet365

Derek Gee to win stage 11
1pt each-way 22-1 bet365

Tour de France stage 11 predictions

Jasper Philipsen finally crossed the line in first place at this year’s Tour de France on Tuesday as he beat points classification leader Biniam Girmay in a sprint finish on stage ten.

The race visits the Massif Central region for just one day this year but there should be action aplenty as the 111th Tour reaches its halfway mark on Wednesday afternoon.

The 211km stage starts out straightforward enough before the difficulty gradually increases with four of six categorised climbs, including the first-category Puy Mary, tackled in the final third of the route.

It looks a day for the breakaway, especially with back-to-back summit finishes in the Pyrenees looming large at the weekend, and it therefore may pay to split stakes between a couple of riders.

Ireland's Ben Healy was extremely active in the first week of the race and the Classics-like profile of the stage should suit the EF all-rounder down to the ground. 

The rest day will have done Healy the world of good after he finished fifth on Sunday's chaotic gravel stage and he is already a Grand Tour stage winner having won at last year's Giro d'Italia.

Second that day was Derek Gee, who finished as a runner-up a further three times at the 2023 Giro but could go one better at this year's Tour.

Gee finished ahead of Healy in third on Sunday and has been a revelation over the last six weeks, finishing third overall and winning a stage at last month's Criterium du Dauphine.

The Dauphine stage won by Gee bore a few similarities to Wednesday's test and while he is ninth on general classification at just over four minutes, he was allowed up the road on Sunday and it is unlikely that the race protagonists see him as a genuine threat for yellow.

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