Like Philippe Gilbert, one of the most aggressive riders in professional cycling is the Frenchman Thomas Voeckler. He might not be quite as successful as his Belgian neighbour, but he too is an honest, swashbuckling competitor who isn’t afraid to give it a shot even if the odds are against him.
That sort of spirit has brought him important success, including two stages of the Tour de France, the GP Ouest France and GP Quebec ProTour races, plus the Tour of Luxembourg and two national road race titles.
He exploited that same derring-do on stage three of Paris-Nice on Tuesday, accelerating clear on the ramp after the summit of the Côte de Bécoup and rocketing away from the bunch. He passed the breakaway group which had been clear for much of the stage and, to his credit, the Ag2r La Mondiale rider Blel Kadri was able to latch onto his wheel.
Voeckler did the bulk of the work, powering along and building a lead of almost half a minute. They were frustrated by the flat run-in towards the finish, though, being caught inside the final five kilometres.
“I would have preferred a tougher course. Anyway, the 20 kilometres that I spent out front will not stop me from attacking in the next days,” he told L’Equipe after the stage. “The terrain was conducive to attacking, even if it was a little too much riding at the end [flatter roads]. I do not want to have regrets Sunday evening in Nice. Too bad there are not more riders who want to attack ...”
The days ahead are much more undulating, giving him a chance to try something if the legs remain good. It’s certain that the French road race champion will continue to animate the race between now and next Sunday’s finish in Nice.