Thomas Voeckler decided to innovate to prepare for the cycling world championships in Canada. The coach of the France team took his entire team an hour from Montreal, in three apartments, to live almost self-managed. We don't know who was responsible for making the meals, the beds or the dishes, but we imagine that the tasks were well distributed among the team, so that at 7 p.m. sharp, Paul Seixas was in his pajamas and could enjoy his dish of pasta cooked al dente.
A dress rehearsal in the dining room for what is likely to happen on the road, where the fourth in the last Tour de France will be the sole leader of the Blues, with a team at his service.
“That Paul Seixas is the leader of the French team on a selective circuit with a difference in altitude, I am not sure that this is information,” announced Voeckler when presenting his team. I'm not going to take you for fools and say that maybe it won't be “all for Paul”. There is an obvious fact: Paul Seixas, in full possession of his means and even if he was not at 100%, which is not the case, is above the fray in France on hard courses. All the other riders know it and are honored to work for him. »
Voeckler has concocted a “balanced” selection
The former yellow jersey of the Tour therefore decided to do without riders like Romain Grégoire, Lenny Martinez and Benoît Cosnefroy, who have been in Cannes in recent weeks, so that everything revolves around the nugget of French cycling: Bruno Armirail as a wheel swallower, Nicolas Prodhomme as a faithful lieutenant, Pavel Sivakov, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Jordan Jegat as reinforcements in the moguls...
“We have a well-balanced selection, with solid and experienced runners to be able to support Paul well, to frame him well,” explains former runner Alexis Vuillermoz. And we also have riders who can have a slightly more versatile card. I think France is well prepared for different types of scenarios. » Alexandre Geniez, aligned with the Worlds in 2018, even thinks that having clarified things from the start will make life easier for the group:
“The whole team around Paul knows his role and has no leadership ambitions. He has taken on characters who will give everything to keep him going for as long as possible. I'm not sure everyone is ready to take the plunge. In this team, he knows that he will have 100% support for his project. We have one of the best runners in the world in this type of race, we put everything at his disposal. »
A year after competing in his first World Championships in the hell of Kigali, finishing in 13th place, Paul Seixas already has the objective of climbing to the highest step of the podium in Canada, especially in the absence of Tadej Pogacar, injured in the Vuelta.
“We cannot count on a one shot”
Used to blurring the lines and having several strings to his bow to surprise everyone, Thomas Voeckler (two world titles and two Olympic medals under his reign) has this time decided to completely change his communication, by proclaiming loudly and clearly who he was going to rely on during these Worlds, and with no alternative solution if things turn sour. Risky as the competition (Evenepoel, Van Aert, Del Toro, Healy, Ciccone, etc.) remains high?
“The “100% Paul Seixas” strategy is the best strategy,” continues Geniez. There is nothing to discuss about that. The world championships are either win or lose. The only one who is capable of winning among the Blues is Paul Seixas. He is in exceptional condition, he showed it in the Montreal GP (2nd). It's going to be a similar race. The strategy is to put it in the best conditions to save yourself and be able to be 100% in the end. »
Geoffrey Soupe, who competed in two Worlds with the Blues, is eager to see what plan has been prepared by Thomas Voeckler to put his brilliant satellite into orbit: “It still remains a race that is extremely long (273 km) and which still calls for a certain type of runner. We cannot just count on a one-shot, on a single frank attack, that only Pogacar can do. The more difficult the race, the more resistance and durability it will require over time. And if it's this scenario, I think Paul will come out the best. »
“He has a basic level which is already very high, which allows him, even if he has put himself in the red, to be able to resist and still go mano a mano with other runners. On Liège-Bastogne-Liège, we must not forget what he did, he was the only one to follow Pogacar for a long time. »
Is Voeckler hiding something?
Alexis Vuillermoz is a little more cautious regarding the “100% Paul Seixas” strategy. Knowing very well this rascal Thomas Voeckler with whom he was in the peloton, the one who won a magnificent stage at Mûr-de-Bretagne in 2015 believes that the coach's words are far too clear for there not to be something fishy:
“Thomas, he is clever, more than intelligent, more than Cartesian. In my opinion, the race has some nice surprises in store for us. Thomas didn't need to communicate that Paul would be the leader of the team, because everyone was expecting that, there are no surprises. Thomas is still someone who is unpredictable. There is something that can play a role elsewhere. » Jordan Jegat world champion, you won't be able to say that you weren't warned.
