Thomas Voeckler laments Tadej Pogacar's absence from Olympic Games: "He could have been Olympic champion"

Tadej Pogacar is the big absence from the Paris Olympic Games. Part of that is because of the Slovenian national team's decision to not take his fiancée Urska Zigart to the races. The decision has blown up in the face of the officials that also lack reigning time-trial champion Primoz Roglic... And French national coach Thomas Voeckler was surprised by the decision taking into consideration his current form.

Voeckler believes that Pogacar was on track to be a key rider in the road race and had, despite lacking the ideal course for his abilities, good chances of becoming Olympic Champion in Paris - instead of wearing the yellow jersey, which he wore in Nice this year. "It's always good to take, because he is still strong... I think he has his reasons, but he could have been Olympic champion," Voeckler argued in a press conference this Thursday afternoon, in words collected by Cyclism'Actu.

Voeckler leads a group of four French riders into the race, the home team has Christophe Laporte, Valentin Madouas, Kévin Vauquelin and Julian Alaphilippe whilst Vauquelin will also race the time-trial event. The Road Race the next weekend however is the big event for the team and Voeckler had argued upon making the decision that there was a clear, but private plan within the team to try and take the gold medal on home roads.

The team have Laporte in tremendous form as one of the big favourites, but it can definitely be argued that as one of the few teams with four riders and all of them being specialists in one-day races, they could thrive in the chaos that is expected of this event. "These are the Olympic Games, 4 riders for the best nations, it will not be like anything we know all year. Bringing back a result, I believe in it. In a classic context, [Anna] Kiesenhofer would probably not have been Olympic champion [in 2021], Carapaz I don't know either".