Jens Voigt: The Chuck Norris of Cycling

Over his 13 seasons as a professional cyclist, Jens Voigt has had many memorable moments. He has claimed two stage wins at the Tour de France, helped to deliver Ivan Basso to Milan as the winner of the 2006 Giro d'Italia, supported Carlos Sastre for his TdF victory last year, and even managed to take a win in America, at the Tour of California in 2007. Now 37, Jens is approaching the end of his career, but the German still has a lot left in the tank. He'll go for his 5th Criterium International title at the end of this month, and then he'll look forward to participating once again in the Tour de France.

Riders like Jens Voigt come along once in a lifetime. A ruthless attacker and recognized hard man of the sport, Jens is known for his long-range solo bids during races. He often jumps off the front alone, throwing caution to the wind in a bid for victory. Sometimes his exploits work and sometimes they don't, but one gets the feeling watching him that Jens has no regrets at the end of a race. He pours himself 100% into every competition he enters, and offers no respite to his competition from his seemingly endless fountain of energy. And while he often goes off the front in search of personal glory, he is also recognized as one of the classiest domestiques in the sport. He'll stop at nothing to support a teammate's bid for victory, as evidenced by his selfless efforts for Basso and then Sastre in season's past.

While recently searching the Internet for information about Voigt, I came upon a very interesting and amusing post about him, done Chuck Norris-style. In it, the author describes the "awesomeness" of Jens. An indomitable force on two wheels, Jens Voigt can arguably be called a perfect cyclist. Immense talent, huge motivation, unswerving team loyalty, and overall friendliness separate Voigt from the rest of the cycling pack. One thing is for sure: He will be sorely missed when he eventually retires. Here's to Jens Voigt, the Chuck Norris of professional cycling!