Voeckler: nine out of ten riders don't like me...

[Havetts]

Also, what's with disliking all his facial antics? Another popular rider happens to do that a lot too, Jens Voight... It's a strange thing to be obsess over.

Never stops working in the break and then escapes afterwards..

 

[usedtobefast]

Voeckler is an arrogant (...). That's why people hate him.[/QUOTE
he goes and they wanna go slow. i'll get them a tissue...

 

[More Strides than Rides]

This is as silly a conversation as wheel sucking.

You play to win the game. You race to get there first. Voecklers pretty good at that, better than others.

Personally, I don't understand some fans' idealized and romanticized vision of cycling. I like watching the riders compete to see who gets there first. You play to win the game

 

[function]

Never stops working in the break and then escapes afterwards..

It's ok to make silly faces if you work in the break? Perhaps this is something i'll never understand.

 

[spalco]

That's the principal reason he's been despised lately-Some in the peloton found it hard to believe that he just kept going after the horrific incident involving Johnny & Juan Antonio- LuLu at least made the gesture to slow down, but DiDi just didn't care at all.... then he kind of praised his yellow jersey achievement at the expense of the misfortune of those two -which enrage the Dutch crowd-and nonetheless the arrogance & Ego plays a part of the disliking attitude among his fellow riders..

The way I remember, he didn't just keep going, he in fact accelerated and tried to get away from his remaining "companions", which really did look disrespectful to the victims of the crash.


I like Voeckler as a rider (not sure about him as a person), but I can completely understand why most other pro cyclists hate him.

 

[theyoungest]

So that's where Johnny is going wrong.

Some would would say it is all about winning.

Tactics are about winning and Voeckler had a successful season last year.

I might retort that you don't understand the purpose of racing but i won't

Since you don't read, I'm going to say it again: it's a perfectly legitimate tactic in road racing. But it won't make you popular among your colleagues.

How would you feel, if someone sat on your wheel the whole time, grimacing like he'll have to let go any minute, and then attacks in the final kilometres?

 

[LugHugger]

no giving a Shi# and not knowing are two totally different things

And people call the French arrogant? Hmmmm......

 

[Angliru]

The way I remember, he didn't just keep going, he in fact accelerated and tried to get away from his remaining "companions", which really did look disrespectful to the victims of the crash.


I like Voeckler as a rider (not sure about him as a person), but I can completely understand why most other pro cyclists hate him.

That's how I remember it also. He was out of the saddle accelerating away, taking the misfortune as an opportunity.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

That's how I remember it also. He was out of the saddle accelerating away, taking the misfortune as an opportunity.

Or, he was simply getting back on top of his gear after almost being knocked of his bike...

 

[Angliru]

Or, he was simply getting back on top of his gear after almost being knocked of his bike...

Depends on how you choose to look at it. Both are reasonable possibilities.

 

[Benotti69]

Since you don't read, I'm going to say it again: it's a perfectly legitimate tactic in road racing. But it won't make you popular among your colleagues.

How would you feel, if someone sat on your wheel the whole time, grimacing like he'll have to let go any minute, and then attacks in the final kilometres?

Voeckler doesn't race to be popular.

I dont let people wheel suck me

 

[Benotti69]

Voeckler is an arrogant (...). That's why people hate him.

The French have been accused to have been arrogant! Is it true? no of course not.

But who believes what the cycling media write these days FFS!

 

[jens_attacks]

The French have been accused to have been arrogant! Is it true? no of course not.

lol.............

 

[barmaher]

Why would Voeckler attack at that stage of a TdF stage where he was in the hunt for yellow?

He needed the other two boys to work with him to maintain a gap sufficient to put him into the maillot jaune.

The way I saw it, he looked back, saw that Flecha and Hoogerland were fecked and decided "we need to crack on". He more or less made the decision for LuLu and Casaar. His cycling harder was more a case of "follow me if you want to win the stage" I am not waiting around for those guys."

 

[spalco]

Voeckler doesn't race to be popular.

I dont let people wheel suck me

But as someone else pointed out, in a breakaway you don't necessarily have that option. Clearly Voeckler is too strong to get rid of easily, and he's sort of exploiting game-theoretic aspects of the group dynamics in a breakaway to his advantage, sort of like "prisoner's dilemma" - do you let Voeckler hang on without doing his share of the work, giving him a better winning probability and more tv exposure than he would "deserve" by the amount of time he spent in the wind or fall back and give up? Not an easy choice when you're riding the Tour de France and your DS is on your back to get your jersey into the cameras. And it's understandable that other riders feel sort of violated by a behaviour like this.

 

[Benotti69]

But as someone else pointed out, in a breakaway you don't necessarily have that option. Clearly Voeckler is too strong to get rid of easily, and he's sort of exploiting game-theoretic aspects of the group dynamics in a breakaway to his advantage, sort of like "prisoner's dilemma" - do you let Voeckler hang on without doing his share of the work, giving him a better winning probability and more tv exposure than he would "deserve" by the amount of time he spent in the wind or fall back and give up? Not an easy choice when you're riding the Tour de France and your DS is on your back to get your jersey into the cameras. And it's understandable that other riders feel sort of violated by a behaviour like this.

Well if your DS is calling the shots then you do as your DS says. If you get caught you get caught, if Voeckler goes on to win what can you do. You followed your DS.

If you are riding using your own brain you play Voeckler at his own game. This can be risky as it can lead to the break getting caught, but Voeckler doesn't want the break to get caught so he has to ride and you watch him closely.

The other thing is, if making faces gets the cameras to concentrate on you, do it, your DS will be happy as it will please sponsors. It will also get your face a lot of exposure which can only be good. It is a professional world and you got to play it to the maximum.

Same as Cavendish and his celebrations, bunny hopping, on the phone etc, Flecha and his arrow, Contador and his pistol all part of the marketing baby. In fact i think some of the celebrations could be better thought out. It would make for better TV. Obviously not a bunch sprint but winning alone and a good celebration could get extra TV exposure and the sport needs it.

 

[spalco]

Well if your DS is calling the shots then you do as your DS says. If you get caught you get caught, if Voeckler goes on to win what can you do. You followed your DS.

If you are riding using your own brain you play Voeckler at his own game. This can be risky as it can lead to the break getting caught, but Voeckler doesn't want the break to get caught so he has to ride and you watch him closely.

But that's the point - most riders in a usual breakaway can't afford "playing the game" like Voeckler. If the break fails, Voeckler doesn't give a ****, he'll just attack again, most other cyclists can't do that. And even if you're just following the DS's orders, you still have some personal ambition too.

Nobody's saying Voeckler's ways aren't legitimate, but it's completely understandable why other riders are ****ed off at him not doing his share of the work while taking more than his share of accolades.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Voeckler haters.

 

[Benotti69]

But that's the point - most riders in a usual breakaway can't afford "playing the game" like Voeckler. If the break fails, Voeckler doesn't give a ****, he'll just attack again, most other cyclists can't do that. And even if you're just following the DS's orders, you still have some personal ambition too.

Nobody's saying Voeckler's ways aren't legitimate, but it's completely understandable why other riders are ****ed off at him not doing his share of the work while taking more than his share of accolades.

Most breaks fail!

What can they not afford? They cant afford riders not to work. If one refuses to do the share the break is definitely doomed.

Voeckler happens to be smarter than most riders. Simple.

 

[pedaling squares]

I'd forgotten how brutal that crash was. I don't see an attack after, just a guy looking around to see what's up.

No doubt some of the riders are tired of his me-first tactics and attention-grabbing grimaces, but they probably don't mind the benefits of his hero status in France. What's good for TV is good for the sport and everybody associated to it. As for his attacks at unpopular times, I'm all for it. The tour and too many other races are raced according to a script.

 

[Angliru]

I'd forgotten how brutal that crash was. I don't see an attack after, just a guy looking around to see what's up.

No doubt some of the riders are tired of his me-first tactics and attention-grabbing grimaces, but they probably don't mind the benefits of his hero status in France. What's good for TV is good for the sport and everybody associated to it. As for his attacks at unpopular times, I'm all for it. The tour and too many other races are raced according to a script.

Your signature keeps me in stitches!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Here's a clip of Voeckler being a total bad guy, attacking the péloton solo, bridging across to the break, then attacking it solo almost straight away before building his advantage to the finish.

God what an attention-sucking wheelsucker who just sits on in the break.

 

[spalco]

Most breaks fail!

What can they not afford? They cant afford riders not to work. If one refuses to do the share the break is definitely doomed.

I meant they can't "afford" wasting their chance, because they are unlikely to get into another break that day.

Voeckler happens to be smarter than most riders. Simple.

I would say he's more cunning, not necessarily smarter.

 

[Froome19]

Here's a clip of Voeckler being a total bad guy, attacking the péloton solo, bridging across to the break, then attacking it solo almost straight away before building his advantage to the finish.

God what an attention-sucking wheelsucker who just sits on in the break.

Voeckler just always does the best he can to win, if he thinks he can attack from the break and have a greater chance of winning than he would have in the break or in the peloton than of course he will do that. For voeckler its all about the win.
Its not like he is lazy by not working, he would be the last person you call lazy, just he is using tactics to win if to win he needs to attack then so be it.

 

[Benotti69]

I meant they can't "afford" wasting their chance, because they are unlikely to get into another break that day.

Voeckler rarely goes with breaks that look doomed to failure from the start.

I would say he's more cunning, not necessarily smarter.

Nope i would say he is smart.