Thomas Voeckler
 Voeckler during the 2011 season |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Voeckler | ||
| Nickname | Ti-Blanc, Le Chouchou |
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| Born | 22 June 1979 Schiltigheim, France |
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| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 66 kg (150 lb; 10.4 st) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Team Europcar | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | All-rounder | ||
| Amateur team(s) | |||
| 2000 | Bonjour (stagiaire) | ||
| Professional team(s) | |||
| 2001– | Bonjour | ||
| Major wins | |||
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| Infobox last updated on 12 January 2012 |
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Thomas Voeckler (French pronunciation: [tɔ.mɑ/tɔ.mɑs vœ.klɛʁ]; born 22 June 1979 in Schiltigheim, Bas-Rhin) is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the Team Europcar cycling team.
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[edit] Biography
Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for Team Europcar, formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour. He comes from the Alsace region of France but later moved to Martinique, where he was nicknamed "Ti-Blanc" (petit blanc) due to his small stature and pale complexion. He is also known as le Chou-Chou ("Sweetheart"),[1] perhaps because of his young looks and his habit of sticking out his tongue in races.
In 2003, Voeckler captured two stages and the overall title in the Tour de Luxembourg. The following year, he suddenly rose to international prominence in the world of cycling. After seizing the French championship, the lightly regarded Voeckler entered the 2004 Tour de France. After escaping with five other riders during the fifth stage, Voeckler gained significant time against the peloton, and earned the yellow jersey (le maillot jaune). Remarkably, he defended his jersey for ten days, even on stages not well-suited to his strengths. With the maillot jaune on his shoulders, and intense media attention all around him, Voeckler only rode stronger. He survived the dreaded Pyrenean climbs, seconds ahead of the eventual winner, Lance Armstrong. Voeckler finally surrendered the jersey to Armstrong on stage 15 in the French Alps. Voeckler then also lost the white jersey (le maillot blanc, held by the best rider under 25) to Vladimir Karpets. But by then Voeckler was already a national hero.
The 2005 season was busy as Voeckler rode many races, including some not considered a fit for his style of riding. His only win that year came in Stage 3 of the Four Days of Dunkirk.
In 2006 he won a fifth stage in Vuelta al País Vasco. At the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Voeckler finished second on Stage 1. He also won the 2006 Paris–Bourges. In 2007 garnered a stunning win at the Grand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France, in which he beat the favorites with a late breakaway. For 2008, Voeckler's early season was highlighted with an overall win at the Circuit de la Sarthe. In 2009, he gained his first stage win in a Tour de France. Voeckler went for victory with about 5 km to go, having been part of a breakaway group for most of the race.[2]
[edit] 2010 season
After a somewhat slow start to 2010, Voeckler went on to win the French national road championship. He was able to break away from the bunch along with Christophe Le Mével. Voeckler bested Le Mével in the sprint to take his second national championship jersey. His form then continued into the 2010 Tour de France where, after several unsuccessful attacks, he was first over the finish line during Stage 15.
[edit] 2011 season
In 2011, Voeckler has enjoyed his finest year as a professional. He recorded eight spring victories prior to July's Tour of France, notably taking two stages at Paris-Nice, and winning the overall lead in the Four days of Dunkirk as well as the Tour du Haut Var.
In the ninth stage of the Tour de France, Voeckler led a breakaway, survived a collision caused by a media support car that injured two other riders,[3] and crossed the line second, taking the overall-time lead and therefore wearing the maillot jaune (yellow jersey). He held on to the yellow jersey daily from the beginning of Stage 10 onwards, carrying it through all the Pyrenean mountain stages and into the Alps, but he was unable to retain it at the end of Stage 19, the queen stage finishing at Alpe D'Huez. Voeckler finished the Tour in fourth place 3min 20sec behind the winner, Cadel Evans, in the general classification – his best career placement in the Tour so far. His fourth-place finish in the general classification was the highest of any Frenchman in the Tour since Christophe Moreau's fourth-place finish in 2000.
Voeckler's 2011 salary from Europcar is 420,000 euros a year, which makes him the second highest-paid French cyclist after Sylvain Chavanel.[4][5]
[edit] Major results
- 2003
- 1st
Overall Tour de Luxembourg - 1st Classic Loire Atlantique
- 1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Avenir
- 2004
- 1st
National Road Race Champion - 1st A travers le Morbihan
- 1st Stage 4 Route du Sud
- 18th Overall Tour de France
- Held Maillot jaune from Stage 5–14
- Held Maillot blanc
from Stage 5–18
- Held Maillot jaune
- 2005
- 1st Stage 3 Four Days of Dunkirk
- Held
Mountains classification for Stage 2 Tour de France - 2006
- 1st Paris–Bourges
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta al País Vasco
- 1st Overall Route du Sud
- 1st Stage 1
- 2007
- 1st Mountains classification Paris–Nice
- 1st Overall Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne
- 1st Grand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France
- 2008
- 1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 1st Overall Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan
- Held Mountains classification from Stages 1–5 Tour de France
- 2009
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de France
- 1st Overall, Étoile de Bessèges
- 1st Overall Tour du Haut Var
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Trophée des Grimpeurs
- 2010
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 1st Stage 15 Tour de France
- 1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 2011
- 1st Overall Tour du Haut Var
- 1st
Overall Four Days of Dunkirk - 1st Stage 4 Four Days of Dunkirk
- 1st Stage 1 Tour Méditerranéen
- 1st Stage 4 Paris-Nice
- 1st Stage 8 Paris-Nice
- 1st Cholet-Pays de Loire
- 1st Stage 2 Giro del Trentino
- 4th Overall Tour de France
- Held Maillot jaune from Stage 10–19
- Held Maillot jaune
[edit] Other
In August 2011, Voeckler raced on his bike against a horse in an exhibition contest.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ "French celebrate Thomas Voeckler's win as Mark Cavendish retains green jersey". The Guardian. UK. 8 July 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jul/08/thomas-voeckler-tour-de-france-mark-cavendish.
- ^ Peter Scrivener (8 July 2009). "Live text – Tour de France". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8139258.stm. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
- ^ Tour de France 2011: Car crashes into cyclists during ninth stage (Video) – The Early Lead. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 21 August 2011.
- ^ Thomas Voeckler : Un avenir doré ? | France Soir. Francesoir.fr. Retrieved on 21 August 2011.
- ^ Tour de France 2011 : Voeckler, Chavanel… Les salaires des Français !. Sportune.fr. Retrieved on 21 August 2011.
- ^ Voeckler Loses Out To Trotting Horse. Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2011.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Voeckler |
- Profile on Team Europcar official website
- Thomas Voeckler profile at Cycling Archives
- Cyclingnews interview during the 2004 Tour de France.
