The 2011 Tour De France wrapped up its longest stretch of relatively even course in stage eleven and now gets ready for the climb through the Pyrenees Mountains. Stage eleven was another sprinters route and Mark Cavendish took advantage claiming his 18th career stage victory. The stage saw 132 cyclists finish in a virtual tie which meant no changes at the top of the standings. Thomas Voeckler retained his yellow jersey before the mountains. One significant change was that Mark Cavendish claimed the points lead in the race for the green jersey.
The Tour will begin its real battle now as the cyclists head into the Pyrenees mountains. Six of the remaining ten stages involve serious mountain cycling which would seem likely to determine the winner. Riders like Alberto Contador and the Schleck brothers will look to take their first step forward to getting back to the front of the standings.
Here is the overall top ten heading into the mountains:
| Stnd | Rider | Rider # | Team | Time | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 VOECKLER Thomas |
181 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 45h 52' 39" | |
| 2. |
 SANCHEZ Luis-Leon |
47 | RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM | 45h 54' 28" | + 01' 49" |
| 3. |
 EVANS Cadel |
141 | BMC RACING TEAM | 45h 55' 05" | + 02' 26" |
| 4. |
 SCHLECK Frank |
18 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 45h 55' 08" | + 02' 29" |
| 5. |
SCHLECK Andy |
11 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 45h 55' 16" | + 02' 37" |
| 6. |
 MARTIN Tony |
175 | HTC - HIGHROAD | 45h 55' 17" | + 02' 38" |
| 7. |
 VELITS Peter |
179 | HTC - HIGHROAD | 45h 55' 17" | + 02' 38" |
| 8. |
KLÖDEN Andréas |
74 | TEAM RADIOSHACK | 45h 55' 22" | + 02' 43" |
| 9. |
 GILBERT Philippe |
32 | OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO | 45h 55' 34" | + 02' 55" |
| 10. |
 FUGLSANG Jakob |
13 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 45h 55' 47" | + 03' 08" |
We'll be here for the entire race providing news updates and stage previews and recaps, particularly as they relate to Bay Area cyclist Levi Leipheimer. For more in-depth discussion on the 2011 Tour De France, head over to Podium Cafe. For more general Tour coverage, head over to the SB Nation story stream.