Thomas Voeckler content with the Polka-Dot jersey at the Tour de France 2012
Thomas Voeckler of Team Europcar is having a superb Tour de France and the cyclist is happy with his overall performance at the event.
Voeckler claimed the first overall position at the stage 10 and the stage 16 of the three-week race and also occupied the first overall position at the mountain’s classifications of the event.
The 33-year-old won the King of Mountains jersey during the stage 11 of the Tour and is continuing his seventh consecutive day in the polka-dot jersey.
"For me, there were four races today, each of the four cols to climb," Voeckler admitted after the race. "I told myself that each summit was a finish line, I didn't think about the overall distance of the stage".
“The objective was to take the maximum mountain points at each summit, and the polka dot jersey in the end. I've been racing these mountains since I was 19 years old, so I knew each of these 197 km by heart”.
"I can't seem to get it into my head. But I've also just spent four cols in front,” he concluded.
The French bagged his first 2012 victory with a first place finish at the Brabantse Pijl and also succeeded during the third stage of the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.
He finished fourth during the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, fifth at the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Amstel Gold Race and occupied the eighth overall position at the Tour of Flanders 2012.
Thomas currently holds the top overall position after the stage 17 mountain’s classifications with a total number of 107 UCI points.
Fredrik Kessiakoff of Team Astana is four points behind at the second position with Chris Anker Sorensen of Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank at the second and the third positions respectively.
Top nine cyclists after the stage 16 mountain classifications are as below,
1
Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
107
pts
2
Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana Pro Team
103
3
Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
77
4
Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
55
5
Brice Feillu (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
38
6
Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp
34
7
Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
33
8
Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling
32
9
Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
32
Tags: