This post attempts to recap stage 11 and 12 of the Tour de France. So much happened in these two stages that it is really hard to do them justice. I paired all this action with a regional classic: a rich, slow-cooked cassoulet. It’s the ultimate comfort food—and a perfect Tour de France cassoulet recipe if you’re watching along at home.
Stage Recap
Stage 11: Chaos in Toulouse
Looking at the profile for stage 11 – 156 km long, 1600 m of climbing, and 5 small categorized climbs – I didn’t expect that much excitement. At most, I thought this would be a stage for puncheurs and those versatile riders like Matthieu Van Der Poel. I was wrong! This was a chaotic stage from the beginning to the end.
As soon as the race started there was an attack by Jonas Abrahamsen. Abrahamsen is a rider on Uno-X Mobility (a Norwegian team) who broke his collarbone right before the Tour. He miraculously recovered in little over a week, securing a spot on the team roster. Abrahamsen was joined by Mauro Schmid, Davide Ballerini, Mathieu Burgaudeau, and Fred Wright in what eventually became the break of the day.
However, there were constant attacks. There were splits in the peloton. Even watching it once wasn’t really enough to grasp everything that happened.
The attacks to form the breakaway weren’t the only attacks happening. The GC group also had riders in the top 10 attacking to try to gain time on their competitors.
Notably, in one moment where Kevin Vauquelin attacked, and the peloton moved to follow his wheel. In the process a rider touched Pogačar’s wheel, which led to Pogačar crashing. The GC group heard about Pogačar’s crash and decided to wait for him, so he was able to get back on his bike and rejoin the group, with no time gaps forming.
By the end of the day it was two riders, Mauro Schmid and Abrahamsen, who against all odds had made it to the final kilometer together, surviving a day of constant attacks. Abrahamsen wins in the sprint against Schmid and gets his first-ever Tour de France stage win. As always, it’s a breath of fresh air when the breakaway wins.
Stage 12: The First Real Mountain Stage
This was a 180 km stage with 4 climbs including a category 1 and “Beyond Category” climb. Basically, these climbs are really really hard. The final climb, Hautacam is famous in the Tour. The last time the Tour finished at Hautacam in 2022, Jonas Vingegaard took over a minute on Pogačar.
Today’s stage started with a massive breakaway of over 50 riders. Notably, many teams had multiple riders, giving some riders the opportunity to hide in an effort to save energy.
However, by the time the peloton reaches Col du Soulor, the category 1 climb before Hautacam, Visma Lease a Bike sets a hard pace that leads to chaos, and the breakaway is more or less nullified. Bruno Armirail makes a solo break over the top of Soulor. But with less than 2 minutes on the GC group his chances are very slim.
Remco Evenepoel gets dropped during Soulor, but so does Matteo Jorgenson. So Visma slows down their pace giving the GC group the chance to come back together. After this, heading into Hautacam it is UAE Emirates that begins setting a hard pace and Tadej Pogacar launches an attack a mere 2km into Hautacam – a 14km climb. He instantly distances Jonas who struggles to limit his losses.
By the end of the stage Pogačar has won. Jonas lost two minutes. And, perhaps most interestingly, Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe comes across the finish line a mere 13 seconds after Vingegaard, moving him up to 4th on GC.
The Dish – A Tour de France Cassoulet Recipe Worth the Wait
Cassoulet is a very famous dish from southern France, and in particular Toulouse where the chaotic stage 11 of this year’s Tour de France took place. It is a stew made with white beans and meat. Often, it is made with duck and sausage.
My version was made with chicken but I did use some duck fat to sear the chicken, sausage, and vegetables. After browning all the meats, I sautéed a mirepoix of onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Then I added the cannellini beans with some chicken stock and let it simmer. After the liquid was somewhat reduced I added the meats back in and put the stew into the oven to bake for another hour in an effort to get a nice crust.
I would have liked to get more of a crust on my cassoulet. But that is really my only complaint. It was delicious, hearty, and filling without being too heavy. Honestly the more I cook European stews and dishes the more I feel like something about American food is just really heavy. I don’t know what it is, but somehow a dish that is beans, sausage, bacon, chicken, and pork shoulder managed to not make me feel like I had the meat sweats.
It did however take a long time and I was rushing through it. This is definitely a good Saturday or Sunday dish when you have some spare time to give it the patience it deserves.
Reflections
While the Tour is not “over” it is really hard to see Pogačar losing it, barring some catastrophe. The battle for the rest of the podium, however, remains hotly contested, as do the remaining competitions for best young rider, king of the mountains, and sprinters.
Missed earlier stages, catch the previous stage highlights here.