With his fists clenched and his eyes closed, he stood on top of the mythic Plateau de Beille climb and punched his arms into the air. Frenchman Thomas Voeckler had again achieved what few expected was possible. And once again, as the road climbed, he convincingly held onto the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
But something changed in the thin air of the Pyrenees. Now the question was not, can Voeckler hold onto yellow, but for how long?
As this year’s Tour de France exits the Pyrenees and enters into the third week, Thomas Voeckler has suddenly morphed into a serious contender for overall victory.
Few are predicting victory in Paris, but even fewer deny it is a possibility.
Throughout the first two weeks of racing, none of the Tour’s pre-race favorites have established their superiority. In a best case scenario, some have managed not to lose time, but none have shown any real desire to take control of the race—not Cadel Evans, not Frank or Andy Schleck, and not Alberto Contador.
“You have to have the desire to take risks,” said Bjarne Riis, manager of Alberto Contador’s Saxo Bank-Sungard team. “For the moment, that hasn’t been the case.”
“I’ve been asking myself, does the Tour really need to be 2,300 kilomters?” said Stephen Roche, winner of the 1987 Tour. “After watching the stage to Plateau de Beille, I wondered, ‘Why not just have a grand fondo until, say, the last five kilometers and then race a little bit to the top?’ Guys are lacking personality. They have ambition, but lack personality.”
According to Roche, Voeckler has personality. And that’s why he is in the race lead.
But it seems like all of the contenders are finally taking the feisty 32-year old seriously.
Hat Tip To: Bicycling Magazine
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