After two wins in a row, in 2020 at Imola and in 2021 at Leuven, Thomas Voeckler he failed to lead the France team to a hat-trick. He was never stingy with surprises and tactical risk, once again he was not lacking as the Blues started the race more than 200 kilometers from the finish line, with attacks from bruno armrail, Quentin Patcher either Romain Bardet from Mount Keira. Taking advantage of the presence of Pavel Shivakov Up front, the French were content to stay in the peloton, before going back on the offensive some forty miles from the line. But the blues on the front was countered by a Remco Evenepoel who crushed all of his fellow escapees to go for a magnificent solo victory. Christopher Laporte Even so, he saved the honor by putting the peloton to the sprint to get a silver medal. Here the reaction of the coach after the arrival.
Video – Thomas Voeckler, satisfied with this 2nd place
Thomas Voeckler: “I could have put five on his buttocks, he would have won anyway”
“We always put the plans in motion, but we said it again during the briefing, the plans are very good, but after that you have to advise depending on the situation. We did the race we had to do, in s “adapting to gaps and groups. There was a time when it didn’t go the way I would have liked, but given the strength of Remco Evenepoel, it just wasn’t playable. This second place runners don’t have to be alone because I really thought about it. was lost. They remained united until the end, they had given Christophe confidence (The door). Sometimes you can feel disappointed to finish second, but today I am very proud of my drivers for going for second place. And I want to maintain that today there was nothing to do against Remco Evenepoel, I could have put five on his ass, he would have won anyway.
Christophe Laporte Vice World Champion 🤩🥈#Wollongong2022 pic.twitter.com/61X6sv8OzM
– FFC (@FFCiclista) September 25, 2022
“I will never accuse my runners of tactical error”
“When we created a voluntary movement with Quentin Pacher and Romain Bardet, which included Remco Evenepoel and Quinten Hermans, the group was too full, maybe we were missing a Benoit (Cosnephroy)Valentine’s Day (Madouas) or Julian (Alaphilippe) what’s more. But I repeat, even if they had been there, given the level of Remco Evenepoel, nothing would have changed. I will never accuse my drivers of a tactical error because if there was a tactical error there, there was mastery at the end of believing over and over again to get a second place, that’s what I prefer to contain.