On paper, stage 11 at the 2016 Tour de France looked like a gentle 162.5km trundle from Carcassone to Montpellier.

In reality, the flat profile was anything but a doddle, with the extremely-strong tailwinds causing havoc throughout the entire stage. From splits in the peloton to crashes, stage 11 was a horrible day for the riders who went at a frantic pace all day. 

Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay climbs out of the bushes after crashing earlier today. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

A break with 11km to go from Peter Sagan was followed by Chris Froome, and they caught the rest of the field out, winning by sx seconds. Sagan claimed the stage victory, but Froome was the biggest winner, with the yellow jersey owner putting yet more time between himself and the chasing pack. 

It gets no easier for the riders tomorrow, with stage 12 set to finish atop the iconic Mont Ventoux if conditions allow. 

Sagan wins into Montpellier following expert break

The first half of the stage was relentless in pace, and the two man breakaway of Arthur Vichot and Leigh Howard never stood a chance. 

BMC rider Damiano Caruso and Tinkoff rider Rafal Majka came a cropper earlier today. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The winds had been causing echelons in the peloton all day, and with around 11km in the day's racing, Peter Sagan put in an attack alongside Tinkoff teammate Maciej Bodnar

Sky duo Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas had been sat at the front of the peloton all day after fearing for splits, and it paid off as they made a surge to follow the Slovak up the road. 

Completely catching out the likes of Lotto Soudal and Etixx Quick-Step who were just readying their trains for an anticipated bunch sprint finish. 

The gap continued to extend due to riders in the peloton failing to work as a team, and with around 5km's to go, it was clear the four-man break was going to provide the winner. 

Sagan outsprinted Froome and Bodnar to claim his second victory at this year's Tour, and extend his lead in the points competition over Mark Cavendish who suffered a puncture late in proceedings. 

Froome adds time to lead having caught Sagan's wheel

Sagan's victory was a stunning piece of riding, but without doubt the story of the day was Froome adding more time to his overall lead. 

Following his unexpected decent victory on Saturday which saw him move into yellow, the Brit proved he is the man to beat, adding 12 seconds to his overall lead from his main rivals. 

Jumping on the opportunity which had afforded itself, Froome responded straight away to Sagan's attack and showed Sky's expert tactics are a winning formula once more.

Froome's expected main rival Nairo Quintana was nowhere to be seen at the front of the peloton, and has lost a further 12 seconds to the Kenyan-born two-times winner after Froome was awarded a six-second time-bonus for his second-place finish. 

The strength of Quintana's Movistar teammates will once more come under question after seemingly leaving the Colombian alone in the peloton, affording Sky another perfect day. 

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