Thomas Voeckler is now contesting his twelfth Tour de France and is probably one of the most prominent French riders at the Tour. This year too, he is one of the most conspicuous French riders - even if the current top ten suggests otherwise. In the first week he fought a fierce battle for the mountains jersey with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), in the Pyrenees he attacked again and held his own in the escape group around stage winner Micheal Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) on the longest stage of this Tour. Although Voeckler had a team-mate in Cyril Gautier, the Équipe with the green jerseys was denied its first stage win: the young Gautier was caught by Rogers in his final attack and was unable to follow the Australian, which clearly displeased Voeckler.
Voeckler is riding a Colnago V1-R, the latest introduction from the traditional Italian manufacturer. The frame with aerodynamically optimised tubes currently marks the technical pinnacle of the Colnago portfolio. When selecting the base material, the developers were able to draw on the expertise of sports car manufacturer Ferrari, and the striking Ferrari company logo on the top tubes of the V1-R bears witness to the long-standing partnership. The frame is built in Taiwan. In addition to the V1-R, five Europcar drivers will be driving the Italian-built C60.
Voeckler's bike is equipped with the latest generation of the Campagnolo Super Record groupset, which stands out visually from its predecessor, especially in the crankset, rear derailleur and front derailleur. Voeckler still shifts mechanically. An EPS version of the groupset has not yet been presented, which is why the Colnagos built with electronic shifting at Europcar are still based on the "old" groupset. As the V1-R frame is equipped with mounts for direct mount brakes, but Campagnolo does not have any corresponding products in its range, it uses its own Colnago-labelled brakes. The original red Campagnolo pads are also popular with other teams due to their good performance. Tyre supplier Hutchinson does not supply the team with tyres from its own factory, but with re-labelled Veloflex tyres from Italy, recognisable by their tread pattern and the "Made in Italy" lettering. The fact that Voeckler's initials are also noted on the sidewall could also be an indication that a particularly light tyre or a special rubber compound is being used for the stage hunter. The curved, one-piece handlebar/stem unit comes from official sponsor Deda, and team-mate Pierre Rolland also has it on his bike. It is also worth mentioning that Voeckler has fitted a Flite TT time trial saddle, which the manufacturer Selle Italia has not had in its programme for several years. Otherwise, there are few special features on Voeckler's bike. As no power measurement system is yet available for the new Campa cranks, the pros will have to make do without one for the time being. Data management is handled by a Rox 6.0 bike computer from Sigma, which is comparatively simple by pro standards. The Look pedals and Tacx bottle cage are unspectacular but functional. Detailed pictures of the bike and much more information can be found in our picture gallery and the equipment list:
Frame: Colnago V1-R
Wheels: Campagnolo Bora Ultra 35
Tyres: Veloflex 23 mm (tubular tyre), labelled with Hutchinson, labelled with "TV" (Thomas Voeckler)
Brakes: Colnago Direct Mount with Campagnolo carbon pads
Gear system: Campagnolo Super Record 11+, mechanical
Sprocket: Campagnolo Super Record
Chain: Campagnolo Chorus
Bottom bracket: Campagnolo Super Record 11+
Pedals: Look Kéo Blade 2 Ti
Handlebar/stem: Deda Elementi Alanera (carbon)
Handlebar tape: Deda Elementi
Saddle: Selle Italia TT
Seatpost: Colnago VR-1
Bottle cage: Tacx
Computer: Sigma Rox 6.0
No power meter
