Voeckler requires surgery after breaking kneecap

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Thomas Voeckler might have put an end to his almost two-decade long career after the Tour de France this July, but the Frenchman still isn't immune from cycling accidents. Voeckler will have to undergo surgery after he broke his kneecap riding to the beach with his son.

"When you went through it for 17 years, and by going to the beach by bicycle with your son you break the kneecap," Voeckler wrote on Twitter with a picture of an x-ray of the knee in question.

Voeckler, who turned professional with Brioches La Boulangere in 2003, was no stranger to broken bones and surgeries during his career. The 38-year-old broke his collarbone multiple times and went through a spate of crashes that saw him do it three times between April 2013 and August 2014. This is the first time that he has broken his kneecap.

Between collarbone breaks, Voeckler managed a series of high-profile victories throughout his career, including four stages of the Tour de France and the mountains classification, in addition to a pair of stints in the yellow jersey. He was known for his aggressive racing and facial expressions and remained loyal to Jean-Rene Bernaudaeu's set-up, now Direct Energie, for his entire 17 years as a professional.