Thomas Voeckler - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Voeckler
Voeckler at the 2014 Grand Prix d'Isbergues
Personal information
Full nameThomas Voeckler
NicknameTi-Blanc
Francis
Born (1979-06-22) 22 June 1979 (age 45)
Schiltigheim, Alsace, France
Height1.74 m (5 ft 8+12 in)[1]
Weight71 kg (157 lb; 11 st 3 lb)[1]
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeAll-rounder
Climber
Breakaway specialist
Amateur teams
1999–2000Vendée U
2000Bonjour (stagiaire)
Professional team
2001–2017Bonjour
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Mountains classification (2012)
4 individual stages (2009, 2010, 2012)

Stage races

Tour de Luxembourg (2003)
Four Days of Dunkirk (2011)
Route du Sud (2006, 2013)
Tour La Provence (2016)
Tour de Yorkshire (2016)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (2004, 2010)
GP Ouest–France (2007)
GP de Québec (2010)
Brabantse Pijl (2012)

Thomas Voeckler (born 22 June 1979) is a French professional road racing cyclist. He rides for the Europcar cycling team.[2]

Voeckler has been called a "national hero," because he has done well in the Tour de France.[3][4] His nickname is le Chouchou which means Sweetheart.[5]

Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He entered the 2004 Tour de France and earned the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) on Stage 5. He wore the jersey for ten days, which made him famous.

In 2006 he won the fifth stage in 2006 Vuelta al País Vasco. He also won the 2006 Paris–Bourges race.

In 2009, he won his first stage in a Tour de France. Voeckler went for victory on stage 15 with about 5 km to go.[6]

In the 2010 Tour de France he won Stage 15.

In the ninth stage of the 2011 Tour de France, Voeckler crossed the line second, taking the overall lead and therefore wearing the maillot jaune (yellow jersey). He kept the yellow jersey for 9 stages, but lost it on Stage 19. Voeckler finished the Tour in fourth place 3min 20sec behind the winner, Cadel Evans. This is his best career placement in the Tour so far. It was the best finish of any Frenchman in the Tour since Christophe Moreau came fourth in 2000.

In 2012, Thomas Voeckler earned more victories and top placements, including in the Spring Classics.

Voeckler in the maillot jaune at the 2011 Tour de France

At the 2012 Tour de France, he was suffering from a knee injury and almost abandoned the race. However he won Stage 10, the first mountain stage of the race. He also won Stage 16 with four huge climbs including the Col du Tourmalet. On this stage he grabbed the polka dot jersey for best climber.[7] He kept the jersey from the Pyrenees to the finish.[8]

In the Ardennes Classic in 2013 Voeckler crashed and broke his collarbone.[9] By June he recovered and won stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné.[10] Voeckler continued his winning form by winning the overall titles of the Route du Sud and the Tour du Poitou-Charentes.

Voeckler is known for displaying many different facial expressions while racing, especially when trying very hard.[11] He often sticks out his tongue.[12] In August 2011, Voeckler raced on his bike against a horse in an exhibition contest, and lost.[13]

Palmarès

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2003
1st Overall Tour de Luxembourg
1st Stages 1 & 3
1st Classic Loire Atlantique
1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Avenir
2nd Tour de la Somme
3rd Grand Prix de Denain
2004
1st National Road Race Championships
1st A travers le Morbihan
1st Stage 4 Route du Sud
2nd Clasica de Almeria
18th Overall Tour de France
Held Maillot jaune from Stage 5–14
Held Maillot blanc from Stage 5–18
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
3rd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
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
2nd Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
3rd Tour de Vendée
2010
1st National Road Race Championships
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
1st Stage 1 Tour Méditerranéen
1st Stages 4 & 8 Paris-Nice
1st Cholet-Pays de Loire
1st Stage 2 Giro del Trentino
3rd GP Ouest-France
4th Overall Tour de France
Held Maillot jaune from Stage 10–19
2012
1st Brabantse Pijl
Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stages 10 & Stage 16
1st Stage 3 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
5th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
5th Amstel Gold Race
7th World Road Race Championships
8th Tour of Flanders
2013
1st Overall Route du Sud
1st Stage 3
1st Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
1st Stage 4 (ITT)
1st Stage 6 Critérium du Dauphiné
2nd Tour du Doubs
2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie
5th Dwars door Vlaanderen
8th Milano–Torino
Combativity award Stage 4 Tour de France


References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "Thomas Voeckler profile". Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  2. "Team Europcar (EUC) – FRA". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  3. The secret life of Thomas Voeckler (2012-04-11). "The secret life of Thomas Voeckler | Cycle Sport". Cyclesportmag.com. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  4. "Voeckler In Top Form For Liège-Bastogne-Liège". Cyclingnews.com. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  5. "French celebrate Thomas Voeckler's win as Mark Cavendish retains green jersey". The Guardian. UK. 8 July 2009.
  6. Peter Scrivener (8 July 2009). "Live text – Tour de France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  7. Hymas, Peter (18 July 2012). "Voeckler solos to second Tour stage win". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  8. "Bradley Wiggins wins 2012 Tour de France". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  9. "Voeckler out with broken collarbone". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  10. "Thomas Voeckler wins stage six of Criterium du Dauphine Libere". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  11. "Rubber face: the Tour's most expressive man". Bike Radar. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  12. Jen See. "Monsieur Panache". bicycling.com. Bicycling. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  13. Voeckler Loses Out To Trotting Horse. Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2011.

Other websites

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