Thomas Voeckler facts for kids
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Voeckler at the 2014 Grand Prix d'Isbergues
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Voeckler | ||
| Nickname | Ti-Blanc Francis |
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| Born | 22 June 1979 Schiltigheim, Alsace, France |
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| 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 |
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| Major wins | |||
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Thomas Voeckler (born on June 22, 1979) is a famous French former road racing cyclist. He rode professionally from 2001 to 2017 for the Direct Énergie team and its earlier names.
Thomas Voeckler was one of the most well-known French cyclists of his time. Many people called him a "national hero" because of his amazing rides in the Tour de France over many years.
Contents
Early Life and Nickname
Thomas Voeckler was born in Schiltigheim, a town in the Alsace region of France. He later moved to Martinique, an island in the Caribbean. There, people gave him the nickname "Ti-Blanc". This means "little white" and referred to his smaller size and pale skin. He became a professional cyclist in 2001.
Thomas Voeckler's Cycling Career
Rising to Fame in the Tour de France
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In 2003, Voeckler won two stages and the overall title in the Tour de Luxembourg. The next year, in 2004, he became famous in the cycling world. After winning the French National Road Race Championships, Voeckler entered the 2004 Tour de France.
During stage five, he broke away with five other riders. Voeckler gained a lot of time on the main group of cyclists, called the peloton. This allowed him to earn the yellow jersey (maillot jaune), which is worn by the race leader. Amazingly, he kept this jersey for ten days, even on stages that were not usually good for his cycling style.
With the yellow jersey on his shoulders and lots of media attention, Voeckler rode even stronger. He managed to stay just seconds ahead of cycling legend Lance Armstrong through the tough climbs of the Pyrenees mountains. Voeckler finally lost the yellow jersey to Armstrong on stage 15 in the French Alps. 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.
Winning Races and Stages
The 2005 season was busy for Voeckler. He rode in many races, even some that didn't quite suit his riding style. His only win that year was in Stage 3 of the Four Days of Dunkirk. In 2006, he won the fifth stage in the Tour of the Basque Country. He also won the Paris–Bourges race.
In 2007, Voeckler had a fantastic win at the GP Ouest-France. He surprised everyone by breaking away late in the race and beating the favorites. In 2008, he won the overall title at the Circuit de la Sarthe. In 2009, he got his first stage win at the Tour de France, winning stage 5. He attacked with about 5 kilometers left, after being in a breakaway group for most of the race.
French Champion and Tour de France Success
After a slower start to 2010, Voeckler won the French National Road Race Championships for the second time. He broke away with another rider, Christophe Le Mével, and won the sprint to the finish. He later said this win was the best moment of his career. His great form continued into the Tour de France. After several tries, he won Stage 15. He attacked before the top of a very difficult climb, the Port de Balès, and reached the summit alone. He rode down the mountain safely and crossed the finish line in Bagnères-de-Luchon more than a minute ahead of the other riders.
In September 2010, Voeckler won the first-ever Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec race in Canada. He had told the press he wasn't in good shape, but he attacked in the final kilometer. He crossed the finish line ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Holding the Yellow Jersey Again
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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, Voeckler was part of a breakaway group. He finished second in the stage and took the overall lead, earning the yellow jersey (maillot jaune). 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 tough mountain stage ending at Alpe d'Huez. Voeckler finished fourth overall in the Tour de France. This was his highest finish ever in the Tour, and the highest for any Frenchman since 2000.
King of the Mountains
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In 2012, Voeckler continued his success with more wins and high finishes. He also started focusing more on the Spring Classics, which are tough one-day races.
His first win of 2012 came in April at the Brabantse Pijl. He rode alone for 30 kilometers in cold, rainy weather to win. The next week, he finished in the top five at the Amstel Gold Race. A week later, he placed fourth in the final spring classic, Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Voeckler started the Tour de France slowly because of a knee injury. He almost quit the race. However, he got stronger and won stage 10, the first mountain stage. He was first over the top of the very difficult Col du Grand Colombier climb. This earned him the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification leader. He also won the toughest stage of the race, stage 16, which included four huge climbs like the Col du Tourmalet. Voeckler was first over all four mountain tops and won the polka-dot jersey again. He finished the stage with a minute and 40 seconds lead. Voeckler kept the mountains jersey until the end of the Tour, earning a spot on the podium in Paris for the first time.
More Victories and Challenges
In 2013, Voeckler started the Classics season well at Dwars door Vlaanderen. He attacked near the end but was caught just before the finish line, taking fifth place. In the Amstel Gold Race, Voeckler crashed and broke his collarbone. But by June, he was back in strong form. He won stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné from a breakaway. Voeckler continued his winning streak by taking the overall titles of the Route du Sud and the Tour du Poitou-Charentes.
In January 2014, Voeckler broke his collarbone again after crashing into a car while training in Australia. He returned to racing and had a good result at the Tour de France, finishing second on a stage. In August, he was injured again, dislocating his shoulder after hitting a car. In October, Voeckler finished second in Paris–Tours. He was very disappointed not to win and was fined for not attending the podium ceremony.
His 2015 season was quieter, with a fifth place on a stage of the Tour de France and third overall in the first Tour de Yorkshire.
Final Wins and Retirement
In February 2016, Voeckler won his first races since 2013. He won the first stage and the overall title at the first Tour La Provence. In May, Voeckler won the tough final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire, beating Nicolas Roche in a sprint and taking the overall title.
In September 2016, Thomas Voeckler announced he would retire from professional cycling after the 2017 Tour de France. This was his fifteenth time participating in the famous race.
After Racing: A New Role
In 2019, Thomas Voeckler was chosen to be the manager of the French national cycling team. He took over from Cyrille Guimard.
Major Achievements
- 2003
- Overall Tour de Luxembourg (won 2 stages)
- 2004
- French National Road Race Champion
- Held
in 2004 Tour de France for 10 days
- 2007
- GP Ouest–France
- 2009
- Stage 5 Tour de France
- 2010
- French National Road Race Champion
- Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- Stage 15 Tour de France
- 2011
- Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- Overall Tour du Haut Var
- Held in 2011 Tour de France for 10 days
- 4th Overall Tour de France
- 2012
- Brabantse Pijl
- Mountains classification in Tour de France
- Stages 10 & 16 Tour de France
- 2013
- Overall Route du Sud
- Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
- 2016
- Overall Tour La Provence
- Overall Tour de Yorkshire
Tour de France Performance Timeline
Thomas Voeckler competed in the Tour de France many times. Here's how he finished in the overall race each year:
| Year | Overall Finish |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 119th |
| 2004 | 18th |
| 2005 | 124th |
| 2006 | 89th |
| 2007 | 66th |
| 2008 | 97th |
| 2009 | 67th |
| 2010 | 76th |
| 2011 | 4th |
| 2012 | 26th |
| 2013 | 65th |
| 2014 | 42nd |
| 2015 | 45th |
| 2016 | 79th |
| 2017 | 91st |
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Voeckler para niños
