Less than 24 hours after taking the Irish road race championship, Nicolas Roche has been confirmed by his Ag2r La Mondiale team as taking part in this year’s Tour de France.
The 24 year old will join his first cousin Daniel Martin (Garmin Slipstream) in the prestigious race, with the two young riders both making their debut in the three week contest. It is a huge boost to their careers and also to Irish cycling; Mark Scanlon was the last Irishman to take part in the race five years ago, and it is a full seventeen years since more than one Irishman has competed in the race.
Stephen Roche, Sean Kelly and Martin Early rode the Tour in 1992. Stephen Roche won the race outright in 1987, and retired after the 1993 edition.
The 2009 Tour de France will begin with a time trial in Monaco on Saturday.
“I got the phone call half an hour ago. I am happy, very pleased to go,” Roche told Irishcycling.com this morning. “The last 24 hours have been really good for my morale, with this news and the Irish championships victory. I was still a bit nervous [about making the Tour team] until I got the official call...anything could have happened until I got confirmation.
“My main doubt was that I didn’t perform as they wanted me to do in the Dauphiné. I was pretty sure about making the Tour team until the Dauphiné, then I didn’t ride as I wanted there. I was tired from a training camp the week before.”
Roche said that he didn’t have much time yet to think about the race, but gave an indication of his likely role and goals.
“My person ambition would be to go for stages, of course. We have Efimkin and Dessel for the GC. I will probably be working for them and also try to go for breakaways and a stage win...that would be my goal, to try something on the intermediate stages.”
He is currently back at his base in Italy. Tomorrow he will fly to Marseille to ride the team time trial course with the other eight Ag2r La Mondiale riders, working on that Tuesday and Wednesday. They will then drive to Monaco on Wednesday evening.
The location of the first two stages will add further motivation. “I lived eight years between Cannes and Monaco...Sunday’s stage is basically my training route, so it is pretty good,” he said.
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NEW IRISH CHAMPION ROCHE WAITING FOR TOUR DE FRANCE NEWS
By Shane Stokes Jun 29, @ 9.00am
One day after winning the Irish road race championships in Dunboyne, Nicolas Roche is waiting to find out if he has been selected for the Ag2r La Mondiale team for the Tour de France.
The 24 year old, who is the son of 1987 Tour victor Stephen Roche, beat David O’Loughlin and Paídi O’Brien of the An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team to win yesterday’s 168 kilometre race. He is hoping that his will clinch his place on the team, enabling him to make his debut in cycling’s biggest event.
Five other team-mates were vying for the four available slots. They are four French riders plus one Italian, and Roche’s chances are boosted by the fact that none were medallist in their own national championships.
His first cousin Daniel Martin has already been confirmed for the Garmin-Slipstream squad for the Tour. The last Irishman to take part in the event was Mark Scanlon in 2004.
