Getting things underway with a 12.1 kilometre prologue in Nancy, Irish professional Nicolas Roche and Daniel Martin will tomorrow begin the ProTour Dauphiné Libéré race knowing that a good performance there should secure each a ride in the Tour de France.
Martin’s Garmin Chipotle team manger Jonathan Vaughters recently stated that he felt that the 22 year old could ride strongly in the eight day race. “I’d I'd peg him as a favourite for the Dauphiné, but there are two pretty long time trials, so that works against him a bit,” said Vaughters.
However if Martin has been able to build on recent form, he should be right up there on the mountain stages. Last month he finished second and third on stages in the Volta a Catalunya ProTour event, and finished the race second overall, just 15 seconds behind Alejandro Valverde.
Nicolas Roche warms up prior to an early-season race against the clock. Photo courtesy of Ag2R La Mondiale.
His first cousin Roche also performed well, placing seventeenth overall and netting five top-fifteen placings on stages, namely fourth, ninth, eleventh, twelfth and fourteenth.
If he can show well again in the Dauphiné, it is likely that will secure his place on the Ag2r La Mondiale team for the Tour.
Neither of the two have ridden cycling’s biggest race before. In fact, Mark Scanlon’s 2004 participation is the only one since Roche’s father Stephen rode his final Tour in 1993.
The ProTour Dauphiné Libéré begins on Sunday with that prologue in Nancy. Following stages to Dijon and Saint Étienne, the first big shakeup is likely to come on stage three’s 42.4 individual time trial to Valence. The next four stages are mountainous, with next Thursday’s 154 kilometre race to the summit of Mont Ventoux arguably the most vital.
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Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, ProTour, France (June 7 – 14):
Prologue, June 7th: Nancy – Nancy, 12.1km
Stage 1, June 8th: Nancy – Dijon, 228km
Stage 2, June 9th: Tournus – Saint Étienne, 182km
Stage 3, June 10th: Bourg Les Valence – Valence (ITT), 42.4km
Stage 4, June 11th: Valence – Le Mont Ventoux, 154km
Stage 5, June 12th: Gap – Briançon, 106km
Stage 6, June 13th: Briançon – Saint Francois Longchamp, 157km
Stage 7, June 14th: Faverges – Grenoble, 146km
