Voeckler rethinks World Championships participation

The podium: Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), Thomas Voeckler (Bbox) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank)

The podium: Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), Thomas Voeckler (Bbox) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)

Thomas Voeckler may reconsider his decision not to compete in the upcoming UCI Road World Championships after his solo victory at the ProTour's Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec City on Friday.

"I don't want to make a decision right away after such a great victory but obviously this might change my feeling," Voeckler said. "I will discuss it with the French team coach, Laurent Jalabert, and see what he thinks."

Voeckler attacked a small front group that formed late in the race to take a solo victory ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank) at the end of the challenging 198km circuit race.

"The Quebec atmosphere gave me a lot of motivation," Voeckler said. "Despite the appearance, I did not train so much this season and didn't have my best training year and did not lead a healthy lifestyle. I think that shows that cycling is not an exact science."

He admitted that the course in Quebec City is similar in style to a typical world championship course, however, it was much more challenging than the circuit which is planned for the elite men's race in Geelong.

"For the time being, I'll stick to my decision that I'm not doing the World Championships," Voeckler said. "Especially because that course is much faster than it was here and could favor a faster rider, so we will see."

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Kirsten Frattini
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Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.

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