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**Thomas Voeckler**
	Voeckler during the 2007 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Voeckler
Nickname	Petit Blanc,; Le Chouchou
Date of birth	June 22, 1979 (age 30)
Country	France
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 91⁄2 in)
Weight	66 kg (150 lb; 10.4 st)
Team information
Current team	Bbox Bouygues Telecom
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-Rounder
Professional team(s)1
2001–	Bonjour
Major wins
	France National Road race champion (2004); Tour de Luxembourg (2003); Paris-Bourges (2006); Paris-Nice, Mountains classification (2007); GP Plouay (2007); Tour de France, 1 stage (2009)
	Infobox last updated on:
	July 16, 2007 1 Team names given are those prevailing; at time of rider beginning association with that team.

Thomas Voeckler (born June 22, 1979 in Schiltigheim, Bas-Rhin) has been a professional road bicycle racer since 2001. He rides for Bbox Bouygues Telecom, formerly known as Bouygues Télécom Brioches la Boulangère and Bonjour. He comes from the Alsace region but later moved to Martinique, where he was nicknamed "petit blanc" due to his small stature and pale complexion. He is considered by many to be France's sweetheart (le chouchou) because of his young looks and his habit of sticking out his tongue in races.

In 2003, Voeckler captured two stages and the overall title in the Tour de Luxembourg.

In 2004 suddenly came to international prominence in the world of cycling. After seizing the French championship, the lightly regarded Voeckler entered the 2004 Tour de France. After escaping with five other riders during the fifth stage, Voeckler gained significant time against the peloton, and earned the maillot jaune. Remarkably, he defended his jersey for ten days, even on stages not well suited to his strengths. With the maillot jaune on his shoulders, and intense media attention all around him, Voeckler only rode stronger. He survived the dreaded Pyreneean climbs, seconds ahead of the eventual winner, Lance Armstrong. Voeckler finally surrendered the jersey to Armstrong on stage 15 in the French Alps. Voeckler then also lost the white jersey (le maillot blanc, held by the best rider under 25) to Vladimir Karpets. But by then Voeckler was already a national hero.

The 2005 season was busy as Voeckler rode many races, including some not considered a fit for his style of riding. His only win 05 came in stage 3 of the Four Days of Dunkirk.

In 2006 he won a fifth stage in Vuelta al País Vasco. At the Dauphiné Libéré, Voeckler finished second on Stage 1. He also won the 2006 Paris-Bourges. In 2007 garnered a stunning win at the Grand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France, in which he beat the favorites with a late breakaway. For 2008, Voeckler's early season was highlighted with an overall win at the Circuit de la Sarthe. In 2009, he gained his first stage win in a Tour de France. Voeckler went for victory with about 5km to go, having been part of a breakaway group for most of the race.^[1]