Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) confirmed his growing condition when he finished fifth in stage 11 of the Tour de France.

"I'm not satisfied but once the victory was no longer possible, I fought for fifth place with Julian Simon," he told L'Equipe. "It's not a bad result but I have already tried to win in the Tour. That's what I was looking for today. It is clear that I was up against a rider that was much stronger than me. 

"I had a bad moment on the Tourmalet. I know the climb very well but that can be a disadvantage. I knew how hard it was near La Mongie. I got a little surprised. I lost my composure a bit. I wasted energy. Fifth is a good result. The legs were good.

"When it's 35 degrees and we are climbing, it is super hard. Some riders like the heat, not me

"It is a sign of progress. If you had seen the fight early in the stage until the 77th kilometer, when I attacked with Majka, we rode much faster than in the finale. Today, the start of the race was the hardest. I will try to recover. A breakaway with a place of honor can not satisfy me but you need the legs."

His teammate Pierre Rolland again looked strong as he stayed with the favourites.

"There were two very tough days, in the Netherlands and on the cobbles," he told L'Equipe. "I lost all hope of the GC there. When I see the legs I have, it is a shame."

"I wanted to prepare myself for the Tour, it was my major goal of the season. When I have a goal, I'm never too far away. Today we had focused on other riders. It suited to the characteristics of Thomas. Tomorrow there will be more climbs. You should know hot to target the right stages."