Thomas Voeckler had a last chance to win a race in 2014 when he found himself in the perfect position at the end of yesterday's Paris-Tours. Having been beaten by Jelle Wallays, the Frenchman regretted to finish the season with taking a single win.

With no wins, Thomas Voeckler has had a poor 2014 season. Yesterday, however, it seemed that he would make up for it on the last possible occasion when he was sprinting for the win in Paris-Tours against young Belgian Jelle Wallays. Having led for most of the final kilometre, he lost his calm, launched a long sprint and was easily passed by his rival.

Hugely disappointed, Voeckler refused to participate in the podium presentation. As a consequence, he was fined 200 CHF and also lost out on his prize of €3,770 for finishing second.

“Wallays didn’t steal the win,” Voeckler said, according to L’Équipe. “I think that we were the two riders who had done the most to ensure the break of the day survived. Finishing second at Paris-Tours is still a good result after my series of problems, but I’m not satisfied with it. I’m a rider who loves to win. It’s a pity because beforehand I had pictured a scenario like this, a break from distance that survived to the end.

"I lacked confidence and strength in the end. I saw that the Belgian was riding strongly in the break, he did his work and he responded when I tested him in the finale. In the sprint, he stayed in the wheel, I could not avoid that he came around me.

"A winless season, this is the first time since 2003. I have twice had a broken collarbone this year, each time after a collision with a car, never in the race. It takes time to recover. My big regret is the stage in the Tour to Bagneres-de-Luchon. I had thought about it since the presentation. I have win inLuchon twoce and I would have loved to win a third time. But I was second (behind Michael Rogers,ed.) like in Paris-Tours. If these second places were transformed into wins, it would not be an average season. But that's how it is."