Europcar rider Thomas Voeckler says he will miss next month’s UCI Road World Championships after he broke his collarbone when he was hit by a car during a warm-up ride shortly before the start of yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour du Limousin.
The 35-year-old was negotiating a roundabout in Limoges shortly before noon when he was hit head-on by the vehicle, the impact throwing him against the windscreen, smashing it, reports Le Parisien.
Journalist Kevin Cao of the Populaire du Centre newspaper tweeted a picture of Voeckler immediately after the crash, together with one of the damaged vehicle, noting that “from the appearance of the car’s windscreen, the impact was violent.”
#Cyclisme @voecklerthomas ne prendra pas le départ du #TDL2014, il vient de se faire renverser par une voiture 1/2 pic.twitter.com/rA0J3blpH1
— Kevin Cao (@kevincao87) August 19, 2014
… à la vue du pare-brise de la voiture, le choc a été violent. Voeckler se serait luxé l'épaule. #twittcyclos 2/2 pic.twitter.com/I4OqpbZrxS
— Kevin Cao (@kevincao87) August 19, 2014
Voeckler said that he was making a turn around the roundabout when he was hit by the vehicle, which he remarked was being driven “very, very fast in town,” adding that the driver hadn’t seen him.
“It’s clear that it’s not even worth thinking about the World Championships, which I’d hoped to be chosen for,” he went on.
The rider noted that it was the fourth time he’d suffered a broken collarbone – the last was in Australia in January, shortly before the start of the Tour Down Under – but the first time the injury had been to the left one.
He also said that the latest injury had thrown his plans for the rest of 2014 into disarray.
“It’s clear that I’ll be off the bike for at least two weeks, which greatly compromises all my aims and races for the final part of the season.”
Team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau said, “It’s a black day for Europcar,” despite Christophe Kern finishing fourth behind stage winner Bjorn Leukemans of Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

15 thoughts on “Thomas Voeckler hit by car, suffers broken collarbone”
I’d love to see the face he
I’d love to see the face he pulled for that one
Can’t have been much of a
Can’t have been much of a warm up ride. He’s wearing trainers!
He was riding to the sign-in for the Tour du Limousin.
Ouch. Get well soon Tommy.
Ouch. Get well soon Tommy.
Quote:Europcar rider Thomas
You accidentally a word.
Heh, I just read the comments
Heh, I just read the comments in the original source (lepopulaire.fr). My glimmer of french gets “short bike paths”, “own the road”, “red lights”, and someone bashing motorcyclists.
Plus ca change… (no mention of helmets or hi-vis though).
bon retablissement voeckler
Meanwhile, Hoogerland and
Meanwhile, Hoogerland and Flecha glance over their respective shoulders, shrug, and attack.
I predict that in the future
I predict that in the future all professional cyclists will have both collarbones replaced by carbon fibre implants which can be switched out for the appropriate Campagnolo or Shimano replacement part on a weekly basis.
Come on, at the rate they get through them, there’s got to be a market for it!
I don’t understand exactly
I don’t understand exactly what happened from this article, which I find slightly frustrating.
Red Corsa being driven like a
Red Corsa being driven like a loon…who’d have thought it…..
Never mind the collar bone-
Never mind the collar bone- more importantly how is his tongue?
How about his bike? Is that
How about his bike? Is that ok?
Airzound wrote:How about his
You made me laugh this morning. Thanks
Twice in one year is really
Twice in one year is really bad luck – hope he’ll be back gurning away off the front soon.
Are Thomas Voeckler and Andre
Are Thomas Voeckler and Andre Griepel the same person; you never see them at the front of the peloton at the same time.
No badge on that car; blame immediately apportioned.
Sorry to hear this, love
Sorry to hear this, love watching Tommy!