MONTAGNE DE LURE, France, March 13, 2009 – French Bougyues Telecom rider Thomas Voeckler suffered a broken collarbone in a fall during the sixth stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race on Friday.

Voeckler, who fell shortly after the start of the stage at Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux, was taken immediately to a hospital in Orange where he underwent surgery.

The former yellow jersey holder on the Tour de France in 2004 was standing 16th in the overall Paris-Nice standings after finishing second in Thursday’s fifth stage.