# Voeckler's tenacity really cost him today.



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Fist off, what a stage today. It is the most amazing start to finish day I have EVER seen in 12+ years of armchair quarterbacking.

Watch this stage and truly appreciate the aggression of Contador and the epic battle that ensued.

I'm a Voeckler fan too.

But his tenacity really cost him today. He followed the wheel of Contador and Andy on the first of three mountains. He was clearly outgunned. And after he lost it, he kept chasing by himself to no avail.

The way he rocked his body on the second climb was painnnnful. I knew it was over and podium in Paris was lost.

Did anyone see him slam his fresh waterbottle to the ground? Photo?

It cost him too yesterday a couple days ago as he kept losing it on the descents and rode in to the driveway.

I'm not complaining. I like riders that let it all hang. But he lost minutes because of it.

fc


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## krott5333 (Oct 2, 2009)

francois said:


> Did anyone see him slam his fresh waterbottle to the ground? Photo?


yup, I figured it was his old bottle and the water was warm.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

I agree.

I think Evans was probably lucky that he had a bike problem which caused him to lose touch with Voeckler after initially being dropped by Contador. He ended up with more help than Voeckler early in the stage and by the end of the stage it was very apparent that he was more rested. I don't think Voeckler had a realistic shot at holding onto yellow today regardless of the tactics, but he could have limited his losses.


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## baker921 (Jul 20, 2007)

Yes BUT it was the same style that got him the lead in the first place. I've sat through too many Tours full of anticipation whilst the GT contenders just cover each other and leave it to the TT to get a lead. Pro sport is part of the enterainment industry and TV entertains me.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

TV ROCKs this year. He gutted it out, which causes mistakes. He had no chance for a GC win so he did the normal take the yellow early and hang on to it as long as possible. He hung on to it with style and guts. He deserves the respect of every cycling fan.

Jens agrees.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

francois said:


> Fist off, what a stage today. It is the most amazing start to finish day I have EVER seen in 12+ years of armchair quarterbacking.
> 
> Watch this stage and truly appreciate the aggression of Contador and the epic battle that ensued.
> 
> ...


or he was afraid the pack would just pass him if he waited without a possibility to keep up with them and then he'd be truly fcked.


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## Bullvine (Sep 9, 2009)

Mr.V made this years TDF for me, nothing but respect for the man one he'll of a racer..


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## Wood Devil (Apr 30, 2011)

I wonder how Cadel would have finished without the mechanical issues.


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## snajper69 (Jun 22, 2011)

Guy is a fighter fighters take risks and sometimes pay for it dearly. He was fun to watch, aggressive and gutsy.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Having been there in no-man's-land myself... it's a tough call to make while in the haze of pain and with the leaders dangling just ahead of you. 

Remember also, yesterday, when Andy took off early and nobody went with him... that was fresh in Tommy's mind.


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## Bertrand (Feb 1, 2005)

I think it's great to see someone who rides on guts and emotion. That's what makes the rice exciting this year. I loved the moment yesterday when TV ripped his earpiece out and threw it over his shoulder.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

I'm a Voeckler fan. I'd love to see him win the whole thing. He looks like he truly is overjoyed every time he pulls on the yellow. He always goes out in breaks and manages to grab the occassional stage win. He's been French national champion a couple of times. He's a great rider. Kind of goofy, but great.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

Wood Devil said:


> I wonder how Cadel would have finished without the mechanical issues.


It was too bad, as it was apparent later he would have been able to make time on Schlecks. He could have sat on Andt's wheel who was sitting on Conti's wheel. Instead, he had to again lead the pack up to the front of the race. And even then he had enough left to attack Andy, who made no efforts at attacking. Andy sat on wheels all day and still couldn't shake Evans who had worked all day ('course, Andy made that terrific solo attack yesterday which obviously made it difficult today). I was surprised most, though, that Andy seemed much fresher than Frank today; Frank could barely hang on.

As for Voeckler, I don't think his tenacity cost him the jersy today. I seriously doubt he would have kept it, anyway. But he was determined not to go down without a fight.

And it was probably a difficult decision: keep going or wait for the others. The others weren't catching up, and were actually losing time for quite a while. It wasn't until Liquigas had used their guys, BMC theirs, and Evans took over the chase that they finally began to catch up. He may have been worried those behind wouldn't catch up. And I wouldn't be surprised if he could tell he didn't have the legs to keep it today, anyway, so decided it would make a good show for fans if he appeared to fight bravely on rather than take the easy way and retreat to the peloton.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Jwiffle said:


> Andy sat on wheels all day


perhaps you should re-watch the stage?


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> TV ROCKs this year. He gutted it out, which causes mistakes. He had no chance for a GC win so he did the normal take the yellow early and hang on to it as long as possible. He hung on to it with style and guts. He deserves the respect of every cycling fan.
> 
> Jens agrees.


Chuck Norris approves.

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Creakyknees said:


> Having been there in no-man's-land myself... it's a tough call to make while in the haze of pain and with the leaders dangling just ahead of you.
> 
> Remember also, yesterday, when Andy took off early and nobody went with him... that was fresh in Tommy's mind.


Very good point. 

This tells me that Tommy was racing for first place... all or nothing.

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Wood Devil said:


> I wonder how Cadel would have finished without the mechanical issues.


It is a non issue after all because the Contador/Andy break got caught. There was just no way to predict that at the time.

fc


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

den bakker said:


> perhaps you should re-watch the stage?


Alberto took of with 90 km to go, and Andy sat on his wheel all the way to Alpe d'huez. Only then was he in the wind. During the trip with Contador, Contil pulled like 77% of the time, and Andy about 10%, and a third guy about 10% (according to the little pop up on Eurosport.) All that time, Evans was having to work to catch up. Yes, Evans then hung on Andy's wheel once he caught up and Conti took off again. Evans was enough ahead of Contador to not have to woory about him. Andy was apparently still worried about Contador even with a 4+ minute lead.


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## Fredke (Dec 10, 2004)

francois said:


> Fist off, what a stage today. It is the most amazing start to finish day I have EVER seen in 12+ years of armchair quarterbacking.


Most respect to TV for this: When TV knew he was cooked on the Galibier, he tells Rolland to go for the glory for himself:_“As long as Thomas wore the maillot jaune, I was working for him and absolutely not thinking of myself,” said Rolland. “On the Galibier he told me to go, that it was my day if I wanted the white jersey. It’s proof that Thomas is a very big champion because many other riders in his situation would have asked their teammate to stay with them, even if they were 10 minutes behind.”_
_...
_
_“From the moment Thomas gave me the possibility to go and just do my stage today and go for white jersey, from that moment I was able to follow Evans and Schleck,” said Rolland.
...
“[Thomas] told me that I had to go and so it was not possible for me to miss my goal,” said Rolland. “It gave me the extra force to stay 15 seconds behind Contador and come back.”_​And while I don't care for TV's bellyaching about AC, it's hard to be at your best in a post-race interview when you've just killed yourself and lost the prize. Kudos for remembering after a little to shut up and let Rolland have the glory._"I’m super happy for him. He deserves one hundred times to get this win. He has helped me so much. It’s a legitimate reward."
...
Voeckler refused to add more negative comments because of Rolland’s win. “This is his day, he deserves all the attention and I’m happy after all”, the Frenchman concluded._​


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## BicycleBastard (Mar 5, 2011)

I thought it was interesting to see how animated Voeckler was today. He was literally screaming at his teammates because they were going to fast and he couldnt hang on. He slammed a water bottle to the ground. He even was seen on L 'Alpe Dhuez yelling at the fans around the road. 

I was fascinated by his antics, mainly because I couldnt tell if it was out of anger for losing the yellow jersey or if it was because he is just a complainer on the bicycle. I mean he was absolutely screaming at his team when they started to drop him, like they were *******s to leave him behind. Also very much like a child who is unhappy because they didnt get what they wanted.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

BicycleBastard said:


> I thought it was interesting to see how animated Voeckler was today. He was literally screaming at his teammates because they were going to fast and he couldnt hang on. He slammed a water bottle to the ground. He even was seen on L 'Alpe Dhuez yelling at the fans around the road.
> 
> I was fascinated by his antics, mainly because I couldnt tell if it was out of anger for losing the yellow jersey or if it was because he is just a complainer on the bicycle. I mean he was absolutely screaming at his team when they started to drop him, like they were *******s to leave him behind. Also very much like a child who is unhappy because they didnt get what they wanted.


Do you have any sources for this or you just editorializing? There were stressful moments for sure but I like what Fredke said as he gave his teammate the green light to go for the stage. At the end, it seemed like he was talking to fans and wanted a beer.

fc


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## jathanas (Aug 6, 2008)

At the very least TV was commited to getting the best out of himself in every stage. It was great to watch!


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## hobgoblin (Jun 26, 2009)

It was one of the most exciting stages I've seen in a long time. I'm always a fan of the guys who go on guts and instinct and put everything they have into their racing. TV did that today, and though I'm not really a fan of AC, his grit today impressed me. I still wanted TV to find some way to make it work, but I was glad to see Rolland get the win. The look on his face when he crossed the line was priceless.


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## marknelson (Oct 18, 2007)

TV won me over. If the race was won by the man with the biggest heart TV would be ahead by miles.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

krott5333 said:


> yup, I figured it was his old bottle and the water was warm.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_-tIteQSU

it was his old water bottle that he smashed.


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## nims (Jul 7, 2009)

Wood Devil said:


> I wonder how Cadel would have finished without the mechanical issues.


The same but less tired I think. I don't think he could have attacked. He just doesn't seem to have a good acceleration on climbs. He has endurance for sure, just not the kind of kick he needs for some reason. Andy caught up with him every time yet he seriously looked tired all day. 

but this thread is about TV who did great but at the end I don't understand why he got so mad. It was obvious from yesterday that he was horribly tired. He fought but he should have seen today as a day to be happy that he did more than he ever could before. 2011 should be considered greater than 2004 for him I think. He had to battle some tough stages.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

Jwiffle said:


> Andy was apparently still worried about Contador even with a 4+ minute lead.


Or, 

He was using Contador's hopes for a stage win to get a free pull in his effort to put time into Evans.


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## Lynton (Jul 9, 2011)

TV had a tough day and on the odd occasion it showed. With the better view of the arm chair and the lack of fatigue and stress it may have looked like his continued chase of the break was the wrong thing to do but the environment he made that decision is different to ours. 

The little guy has had a very tough 10 days and he has astounded us on most of them, his tenacity and fighting spirit is what legends are made of and he has made everyone take notice. Personally I think he is truly one of the stellar performers on this years tour. Then when he realised his tour was cooked and his team mate had a real shot at a win and the white jersey, letting him go like that was real leadership. 

I bet there is fan out there that has a banged up water bottle mounted in a glass case, that bottle would probably end up famous amongst French cycling fans.


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## serpico7 (Jul 11, 2006)

My take:
Voeckler - another gutsy performance. The guy is all heart and instinct. A Tour legend, to be sure. Yeah, he would have been better off sitting up and waiting for the main group to catch up, but as someone noted earlier, then he wouldn't be the instinctive Voeckler that got the maillot jaune in the first place. I'm hoping this wasted effort doesn't affect his TT to the point where he can't edge out Frank for 3rd place. Voeckler on the podium of the TdF??? Who would have ever thought that was possible? Overall, TV played a big role in making this Tour the best in many years.

Contador - a fighter to the end. Thank goodness one of the top GC guy is so aggressive. El Pistolero made today's stage one of the best in years.

Evans - I don't like the guy, but he deserves the win. Incredibly steady and strong performance all Tour, especially the last couple of days in the Alps.

Andy - Great ride yesterday, so I can't hold it against him that he was gassed today. But he should have done more in the Pyrenees. If he loses the maillot jaune tomorrow, I hope he will learn his lesson that playing it safe isn't the way to ride the Tour, unless you are the best ITT'er of the contenders.

Frank - has really shown once and for all that he is at best a climbing domestique, who can win the occasional mountaintop finish stage when he is set free. He did nothing in the Alps up until today and still was unable to do anything to help Andy or his own chances.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Creakyknees said:


> Having been there in no-man's-land myself... it's a tough call to make while in the haze of pain and with the leaders dangling just ahead of you.
> 
> Remember also, yesterday, when Andy took off early and nobody went with him... that was fresh in Tommy's mind.


^^This^^ (as someone else who has also been there.)

It's also deceptive when you can see the neutral car and you know how close they are--makes you think that you can do it--just a little more, a little more, & then the road kicks up and it's not happening.

Had Evans not had his mechanical and instead was hanging with TV--it may have been a different story....


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

paredown;3465980--[B said:


> makes you think that you can do it--just a little more, a little more, & then the road kicks up and it's not happening[/B].
> 
> .



Sounds like life itself, exemplified in a bike race.

Huh.


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

Gotta love Voeckler! The guy is old school and rides with passion. I will remember this year's TDF for the way he and Thor rode with guts and class.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

serpico7 said:


> Andy - Great ride yesterday, so I can't hold it against him that he was gassed today. But he should have done more in the Pyrenees. If he loses the maillot jaune tomorrow, I hope he will learn his lesson that playing it safe isn't the way to ride the Tour, unless you are the best ITT'er of the contenders.


If Andy loses, he will also rue the 1:09 that he lost to Cadel on the climb and wet descent into Gap on stage 16. But if he hadn't lost that time, he probably wouldn't have attacked and pulled the time gap out on the Galibier stage, and then it would have been a different Tour.

The thing is of course that nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow in the ITT. There are too many human factors involved. And that's why it's been so compelling this year.


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

Lazy Spinner said:


> Gotta love Voeckler! The guy is old school and rides with passion. I will remember this year's TDF for the way he and Thor rode with guts and class.


Agreed 100%


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## Lynton (Jul 9, 2011)

ukbloke said:


> The thing is of course that nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow in the ITT. There are too many human factors involved. And that's why it's been so compelling this year.


Absolutely, all this makes this year much more interesting than previous years where it has been a lap around France to a forgone conclusion. Definitely a DVD to add to the collection.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

This Tour will be remembered for Voekler's defense of the maillot jaune. I have never seen the jersey defended with such guts.


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

danl1 said:


> or,
> 
> he was using contador's hopes for a stage win to get a free pull in his effort to put time into evans.


this


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## Fredke (Dec 10, 2004)

il sogno said:


> This Tour will be remembered for Voekler's defense of the maillot jaune. I have never seen the jersey defended with such guts.


I grew up in Boston, as a Red Sox fan (the era of Yaz, Spaceman, and Fisk). Losing after a hard fight is sometimes more powerful for fans than winning blandly.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*he is the new*

chosen one of St Jude
he knew he had no chance
he still fought like hell
kudos Tommy
and I won't call him TV cause that has a whole 'nother meaning


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

atpjunkie said:


> chosen one of St Jude
> he knew he had no chance
> he still fought like hell
> kudos Tommy
> and I won't call him TV cause that has a whole 'nother meaning


He knew he had a chance. He was only down two minutes down on Cadel on the TT. He was up by two minutes before the descending fails and the cracking incident.

He is the awesome!

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

il sogno said:


> This Tour will be remembered for Voekler's defense of the maillot jaune. I have never seen the jersey defended with such guts.


This one was better than defense of 2004. This one included not just guts but skill, teamwork and ability!

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Creakyknees said:


> Having been there in no-man's-land myself... it's a tough call to make while in the haze of pain and with the leaders dangling just ahead of you.
> 
> Remember also, yesterday, when Andy took off early and nobody went with him... that was fresh in Tommy's mind.



Yup, he literally "threw caution to the wind" as he chased by himself.

I think that's why he was so upset as he smashed that waterbottle down. He knew made the wrong gamble. He is the epitome of guts but he is also a cagey racer.

fc


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Sounds like life itself, exemplified in a bike race.
> 
> Huh.


yeppers...

although the lesson may be that a strategic retreat is sometimes the best way forward.

TV drops back, joins teh peleton with Cadel, gets dragged up the hill with everyone else & they get back to Contador and Andy...

But it is hard not to want to go forward and smash through that obstacle--


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