Thomas Voeckler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Thomas Voeckler

Voeckler at the 2014 Grand Prix d'Isbergues
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Voeckler
Nickname	Ti-Blanc Francis
Born	(1979-06-22) 22 June 1979 (age 46) Schiltigheim, Alsace, France
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb; 11 st 3 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder Climber Breakaway specialist
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) 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 is a famous French former road racing cyclist. He rode his bike professionally from 2001 to 2017 for the same team, which changed its name over the years. Thomas was known as a "national hero" in France. This was because he had many strong performances in the Tour de France, a very important bike race.

About Thomas Voeckler

Thomas Voeckler was born in Schiltigheim, a town in the Alsace region of France. Later, his family moved to Martinique, an island in the Caribbean. There, he got the nickname "Ti-Blanc", which means "little white". This was because he was small and had a pale skin color.

Thomas's Cycling Career

Starting Out as a Pro Cyclist

Thomas Voeckler wearing the yellow jersey at the 2004 Tour de France.

In 2003, Thomas won two stages and the overall race title at the Tour de Luxembourg. The next year, he became very well known in cycling. He won the French National Road Race Championships. Then, he entered the 2004 Tour de France.

During the fifth stage of the Tour, Thomas broke away from the main group of riders, called the peloton. He gained a lot of time and surprisingly earned the yellow jersey (called maillot jaune in French). He kept this special jersey for ten days! This was amazing because some stages were not even good for his riding style.

With the yellow jersey, Thomas became even stronger. He rode through the tough mountains of the Pyrenees. He stayed just seconds ahead of famous cyclist Lance Armstrong. Finally, on stage 15, in the French Alps, he lost the yellow jersey to Armstrong. He also lost the white jersey (for the best young rider) to Vladimir Karpets. But by then, Thomas Voeckler was already a national hero in France.

In 2005, Thomas raced a lot. He won one stage in the Four Days of Dunkirk race. In 2006, he won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country. He also won the Paris–Bourges race.

In 2007, Thomas had a great win at the GP Ouest-France. He surprised everyone by breaking away late in the race and winning. In 2008, he won the Circuit de la Sarthe race. In 2009, he got his first stage win at the Tour de France. He attacked with about 5 kilometers left and won stage 5.

Winning More in 2010

After a quiet start to 2010, Thomas won the French National Road Race Championships for the second time. He broke away with another rider and won the sprint. He said this win was the best moment of his career.

His good form continued into the Tour de France. After trying several times, he won Stage 15. He attacked on a very tough mountain climb called the Port de Balès. He rode down the mountain safely and finished more than a minute ahead of the other riders.

In September, Thomas won the first-ever Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec race in Canada. He surprised everyone again by attacking in the last kilometer to win.

A Fantastic Year in 2011

Thomas Voeckler in the yellow jersey at the 2011 Tour de France.

The year 2011 was Thomas Voeckler's best as a professional cyclist. He won eight races before the Tour de France in July. These wins included two stages at Paris–Nice and the overall titles at the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Tour du Haut Var.

In stage nine of the Tour de France, Thomas was part of a group that broke away. Even after a small crash, he finished second and took the overall time lead. This meant he got to wear the yellow jersey. He kept the yellow jersey every day from Stage 10 through all the mountain stages in the Pyrenees and into the Alps. He finally lost it at the end of Stage 19, which was a very hard mountain stage.

Thomas finished in fourth place overall in the Tour de France. This was his best finish ever in the Tour. It was also the highest finish for any French rider in the Tour since 2000.

More Success in 2012

Thomas Voeckler wearing the polka dot jersey at the 2012 Tour de France.

In 2012, Thomas continued his winning ways. He started focusing more on the Spring Classics, which are tough one-day races.

In April, he finished in the top ten at the Tour of Flanders. Ten days later, he won his first race of the season, the Brabantse Pijl, after riding alone for 30 kilometers in the rain. The next week, he finished in the top five at the Amstel Gold Race. A week after that, he placed fourth in another big race, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

Thomas started the Tour de France slowly because of a knee injury. He even thought about quitting. But he got stronger and won stage 10, which was the first mountain stage. He was first over the very tough Col du Grand Colombier climb. This earned him the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.

He also won the hardest stage of the race, stage 16. This stage had four huge mountain climbs. Thomas broke away early and was first over all four climbing points. He won the stage and took the polka-dot jersey again. He kept this jersey all the way to the end of the Tour in Paris. This was the first time he finished on the podium (top three) in a Tour de France classification.

Challenges and Wins in 2013

Thomas Voeckler in the race leader's jersey at the 2013 Route du Sud.

Thomas started the 2013 Classics season well. He almost won the Dwars door Vlaanderen race, but was caught just before the finish line. In another race, the Amstel Gold Race, he crashed and broke his collarbone.

But by June, Thomas was back in strong form. He won stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné. He then won the overall titles of the Route du Sud and the Tour du Poitou-Charentes races.

Injuries and Near Misses in 2014

In January 2014, Thomas crashed into a car while training in Australia and broke his collarbone again. He returned to racing later. He finished second on a stage of the Tour de France.

In August, he crashed again while training and dislocated his shoulder. In October, Thomas finished second in the Paris–Tours race. He was very disappointed because he was beaten in a sprint at the very end. He was so upset that he didn't go to the awards ceremony, which led to a fine.

Quiet Season and Retirement Announcement

Thomas had a quieter year in 2015. He finished fifth on a stage of the Tour de France. He also placed third overall in the first-ever Tour de Yorkshire race.

In February 2016, Thomas won his first races since 2013. He won a stage and the overall title at the Tour La Provence. In May, he won the tough final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire and took the overall win.

In September 2016, Thomas Voeckler announced he would stop professional cycling after the 2017 Tour de France. This would be his fifteenth time racing in the Tour.

After Racing: A New Role

In 2019, Thomas Voeckler became the manager of the French national cycling team. This means he helps guide and coach the best French riders.

Major Race Results

Source:

Grand Tour Results Over the Years

Grand Tour	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Giro d'Italia	135	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	89	23	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	119	18	124	89	66	97	67	76	4	26	65	42	45	79	91
Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	101	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Classic Races Results Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Voeckler para niños