Despite the season of his life the Tour de France hero concedes he has little chance of success in Sunday’s World championships
France’s Thomas Voeckler has worn many of the most prestigious jerseys in the sport. He has been French champion on two occasions, and worn the yellow jersey for a total of twenty days, but it is the rainbow jersey that he – like most other cyclists – covets most of all. The Europcar rider will be part of the nine-man French team that starts Sunday’s World championship race, although he concedes that he has little chance of victory himself on a course that suits the sprinters.
“It is the most beautiful jersey of all,” said Voeckler. “I’m proud to have worn the blue, white and red jersey for a year, but the rainbow jersey is the one that makes me dream the most.”
While Voeckler himself is a breakaway specialist, and France does not possess any of the sport’s top sprinters, he does not feel that his country needs to rely on a breakaway to take the title.
“Not necessarily in my opinion,” he explained. “Romain Feillu has turned a corner this season – he can compete with the best – and it’s the same for Anthony Ravard. The finish is on a bit of a false flat could allow them to beat the big sprinters.”
France is not the only country not to possess a top tier sprinter, with the Netherlands and Belgium among the other nations who are likely to want the race to be settled by a breakaway. Voeckler doubts though, that there will be much cooperation between the nations, who will not want to help each other’s favourites.
“If you go out in a group of seven with a German, an Italian, a Briton and [Belgium’s Philippe] Gilbert, who will work?” he asked. “Every nation has its own interests; there will be no alliances of convenience.”
Despite the best intentions of the breakaway specialists therefore, Voeckler concedes that the race will almost certainly be decided in a sprint, on a course that seems deliberately designed for one.
“On Sunday we will face nations that are very well structured and entirely dedicated to their sprinter,” Voeckler explained. “If we had a guy like [USA’s Tyler] Farrar, [Germany’s André] Greipel or [Great Britain’s Mark] Cavendish, [French head coach] Laurent Jalabert would have called up eight riders to be totally at his service.
“It will be hard to beat the big teams.”
The breakaway riders have a chance, albeit a very slim one
There is a slight possibility that an attacking rider like Voeckler or Gilbert might make it to the finish and take the victory, but the Frenchman doubts it.
“In the end, Gilbert might,” he admitted, “but I’m not going to make silly predictions. The sprinters can get over the bumps better and better. To beat Bennati on the bump on Sunday will frankly be very complicated.”
2011 has been the best season of Voeckler’s career. Despite losing his French champion’s jersey on the eve of the Tour de France, he took the yellow jersey in the race and held it for ten days for the second time in his career. This time was different to the first occasion, back in 2004 though, since, as the race went on, the World began to believe that he could actually win the race.
He finally lost the jersey on the penultimate stage to Alpe d’Huez, but held on to take fourth place overall; the best finish for a French rider since Richard Virenque’s second place in 1997.
Despite this new found ambition, the Frenchman has very little hope of getting a result for himself on Sunday.
“I have no particular ambition,” he said. “I am of course super-motivated to defend the tricolor, but my season is beginning to weigh heavily on my legs, even though I still have good physical reserves. What is certain is that I’m not here to get onto the TV; I won’t go in any long breakaways; I have nothing to prove. During the first 150km I’ll just concentrate on eating properly, then I will need to become more vigilant.”
Voeckler sat out the 2010 World championships, held in Melbourne and Geelong, Australia, but returns to the French team now that the race has returned to Europe. This was partly to do with the geography, but also down to the fact that Bbox Bouygues Telecom was finishing its tenure as his team’s sponsor, and manager Jean-René Bernadeau was struggling to find a replacement.
“I didn’t want to go to the other side of the World where I would have had no chance,” he explained, “and at the time the future of the team was in the balance, I needed serenity. But when looking at the World championships, I don’t feel at ease on my couch.
“My place is on a bike.”