Gurning hard, driving on solo through the rain, Thomas Voeckler on the attack may not be a pretty sight, but there is still a beautiful familiarity to it. Having suffered a bad injury on the eve of the season in Australia, Voeckler has made sure he makes up for lost time since returning. A regular on the attack at Paris-Nice, often with Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling) for company, Voeckler has ensured his name – and that of Team Europcar in their first WorldTour season – has received plenty of air time.
His penchant for attacking brought him two Tour de France stage wins and the King of the Mountains jersey in 2012, and Team Europcar will be hoping for a similar return this time out as he and Pierre Rolland – himself no stranger to the breaks at last year’s Tour – look to make the French team’s first WorldTour season a memorable one. They have had riders in the break on many occasions already this season, with only the wildcard teams seemingly better represented on the attack so far this season. This attack ended with six kilometres to go to the finish, but past form suggests we won’t have to wait too long for Voeckler to be part of a race-winning escape again soon.
