Before stage 11, Caleb Yuan (Lotto-Soudal) told France TV that the flat to Poitiers was the "last chance before Paris" for sprinters in this year's Tour de France.

Lotto-Soudal had already lost three riders, including two on the first day, and despite the pressure and a serious lack of teammates, Yuan took a perfect position in the winding last kilometer of Poitiers, narrowly ahead of Sam Bennett (Desseuninck-Quick Step) He went on to win his fifth Tour stage victory.

In a blanket finish by the strongest sprinters, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second, but was forced to the back of the pack as he was beaten in the sprint by Uout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).

"It was very close. I'm very happy. I was a little bit further ahead than I wanted to be, but it was a headwind finish, so I just had to stay calm and wait for the right gap to open up," said Ewan, who passed Bennett in the last few meters.

Sprinters usually use their sixth sense to determine if they have won, but Yuan admitted that on this day, after his enormous effort to beat Bennett, he had no idea if it was enough to win.

"I saluted him just in case. But when I made the big throw, I was looking at the ground. I haven't seen a picture, but I think it's pretty close," Ewan said.

The Australian had no team staff, so Lot Soudal had to play it smart.

"It's not an ideal situation to have a hectic day. We had to gamble a little bit," Yuan said.

"I told the team we had to get out in front in a tight spot before we got into town. Despite Bora and Quickstep's escape, we were also calm. Compared to them, I had the easy job of riding to the end."

With his eyes firmly fixed on the finish line, Ewan did not even notice the high-speed tangle between Van Aert and Sagan. Ewan was diplomatic about why Sagan sprinted the way he did, but when a French television station asked him to watch the finale unfold on replay, his "Oh! probably said as much as his subsequent comments.

"I mean, at the end of the day, we're really in the moment and the Tour de France stage is on the line. We're not always thinking about safety, we're just thinking about getting to the line first," Ewan said.

"I'm sure Peter didn't mean to do that, OK, it looks pretty bad on TV and maybe he shouldn't have done it, but I'm sure he didn't mean any harm by it."

Ewan appears to have a narrow advantage in the ongoing battle with Sam Bennett, but the Lotto Soudal sprinter has ruled out a battle for the green jersey with the Irishman this year.

Ewan is currently fourth in the green jersey standings with 155 points.

"I didn't have that goal before the Tour started, and even if I waited until halfway through, it would be too late.

"Last year I was satisfied with three stage wins, but this year I have already won two. This year we have already won two."

"Five wins is quite an accomplishment, and I'm going for the green jersey in the future.

With his second win here, Ewan is now on par with Van Aert as the only rider to have won two stages in the 2020 Tour. And a further showdown with Bennett is sure to take place in Paris in the final week.