Thomas Voeckler Battling to Keep Yellow Jersey as Race Heads to Alpe d’Huez
Jumat, 22 Juli 2011 by Android Blackberry
Thomas Voeckler Battling to Keep Yellow Jersey as Race Heads to Alpe d’Huez
Midway via the post race press conference two days ago, Thomas Voeckler reached behind his neck, pulled down a zipper and began take off the yellow jersey he had been presented with minutes earlier. It was a bit of a struggle but he successfully clambered out of the leading, preferring instead to show off his Europcar team jersey towards the cameras.
He was back in yellow yesterday and, this time, it was his rivals did their utmost to relieve him of the Maillot Jaune. He showed plenty of tenacity to fight all of the solution to the finish line, remaining inside the chase group though extra accomplished Grand Tour riders such as Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank SunGard) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) cracked and lost time.
Some have faulted Voeckler for not working but, in truth, had he shared the pacesetting with Cadel Evans, he would have lost get in touch with and given up his jersey. Instead, he remained at the leading of the general classification, albeit by just 15 seconds.
“When it can be so difficult inside the last kilometres, there is no location for emotion, only suffering and suffering,” he stated right after the finish. “And also certainly concentrating… You must work using the direction of the wind and also watch out for the spectators…they pushed me and almost produced me crash twice. Certainly there was suffering all the time.”
Voeckler did slip back, but it wasn’t until he was properly inside the final kilometre. He battled as much as the finish line, grimacing with pain, then thrust his fist in the air to celebrate keeping the golden tunic. Once over the finish line, he slumped over his bike and was clearly pretty, pretty drained.
Asked if it was a surprise to him that he kept the jersey, he said that it wasn’t the very first stage where he was expected to drop back. “It was already unexpected what I did on Luz Ardiden, it was the same on Plateau de Beille,” he mentioned. “There was plenty of wind, definitely a great deal, and Cadel Evans was quite, pretty powerful. He is my favourite for the final victory as the climb he did there was extremely impressive.
“Of course, I am aware of what I achieved today but I am not here to congratulate myself. I feel I will realise what I achieved only later.”
Three days remain in this year’s Tour but with the final stage practically usually coming down to a bunch sprint, Vockler knows that the next two are the vital ones. Today’s race takes the riders over the Col du Telegraphe, the Col du Galibier and up to the finish at Alpe d’Huez. If he can maintain his grip on the yellow jersey - or even when he concedes it by a smaller margin to 1 with the Schleck brothers but holds his benefit over Cadel Evans, he can potentially win the race in tomorrow’s time trial.
Nobody knows what will happen, least of all himself. If he’s to go down, although, he’ll go down fighting. “I cannot guarantee what I will do, but what I can let you know is that I will fight again to defend my jersey,” he promised. “I feel it could be completely indecent not to to be motivated. Naturally I will fight and give it all to make an effort to maintain the jersey.”
He added that the finale would be fairly distinct to that of the Galibier. “It is fully different…it could be the Alpe d’Huez, it's quite, pretty tough. Everybody knows that Andy is usually a much better climber than I'm and every single day he is stronger. But I will see what I can do.”
When likely scenario is that 1 or other with the Schleck brothers will attack to try to open time up over Voeckler and Cadel Evans prior towards the final time trial. If that takes place, Voeckler will try to remain with Evans, as he did yesterday.
Must he manage to do that and keeps the gaps tight towards the Schlecks, he would head into the time trial having a chance of victory. That seemed unthinkable when he took the yellow jersey twelve days ago; his defence has been stronger than even he anticipated, and means that he will focus totally on the Tour de France subsequent year.
Thomas Voeckler Battling to Keep Yellow Jersey as Race Heads to Alpe d’Huez
Midway via the post race press conference two days ago, Thomas Voeckler reached behind his neck, pulled down a zipper and began take off the yellow jersey he had been presented with minutes earlier. It was a bit of a struggle but he successfully clambered out of the leading, preferring instead to show off his Europcar team jersey towards the cameras.
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| Thomas Voeckler |
He was back in yellow yesterday and, this time, it was his rivals did their utmost to relieve him of the Maillot Jaune. He showed plenty of tenacity to fight all of the solution to the finish line, remaining inside the chase group though extra accomplished Grand Tour riders such as Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank SunGard) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) cracked and lost time.
Some have faulted Voeckler for not working but, in truth, had he shared the pacesetting with Cadel Evans, he would have lost get in touch with and given up his jersey. Instead, he remained at the leading of the general classification, albeit by just 15 seconds.
“When it can be so difficult inside the last kilometres, there is no location for emotion, only suffering and suffering,” he stated right after the finish. “And also certainly concentrating… You must work using the direction of the wind and also watch out for the spectators…they pushed me and almost produced me crash twice. Certainly there was suffering all the time.”
Voeckler did slip back, but it wasn’t until he was properly inside the final kilometre. He battled as much as the finish line, grimacing with pain, then thrust his fist in the air to celebrate keeping the golden tunic. Once over the finish line, he slumped over his bike and was clearly pretty, pretty drained.
Asked if it was a surprise to him that he kept the jersey, he said that it wasn’t the very first stage where he was expected to drop back. “It was already unexpected what I did on Luz Ardiden, it was the same on Plateau de Beille,” he mentioned. “There was plenty of wind, definitely a great deal, and Cadel Evans was quite, pretty powerful. He is my favourite for the final victory as the climb he did there was extremely impressive.
“Of course, I am aware of what I achieved today but I am not here to congratulate myself. I feel I will realise what I achieved only later.”
Three days remain in this year’s Tour but with the final stage practically usually coming down to a bunch sprint, Vockler knows that the next two are the vital ones. Today’s race takes the riders over the Col du Telegraphe, the Col du Galibier and up to the finish at Alpe d’Huez. If he can maintain his grip on the yellow jersey - or even when he concedes it by a smaller margin to 1 with the Schleck brothers but holds his benefit over Cadel Evans, he can potentially win the race in tomorrow’s time trial.
Nobody knows what will happen, least of all himself. If he’s to go down, although, he’ll go down fighting. “I cannot guarantee what I will do, but what I can let you know is that I will fight again to defend my jersey,” he promised. “I feel it could be completely indecent not to to be motivated. Naturally I will fight and give it all to make an effort to maintain the jersey.”
He added that the finale would be fairly distinct to that of the Galibier. “It is fully different…it could be the Alpe d’Huez, it's quite, pretty tough. Everybody knows that Andy is usually a much better climber than I'm and every single day he is stronger. But I will see what I can do.”
When likely scenario is that 1 or other with the Schleck brothers will attack to try to open time up over Voeckler and Cadel Evans prior towards the final time trial. If that takes place, Voeckler will try to remain with Evans, as he did yesterday.
Must he manage to do that and keeps the gaps tight towards the Schlecks, he would head into the time trial having a chance of victory. That seemed unthinkable when he took the yellow jersey twelve days ago; his defence has been stronger than even he anticipated, and means that he will focus totally on the Tour de France subsequent year.
Thomas Voeckler Battling to Keep Yellow Jersey as Race Heads to Alpe d’Huez
