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Last Updated: 30 Jan 2022 - 7:19:08 PM |
Nicolas Roche appointed to new role by Cycling Ireland
By Issued on behalf of Cycling Ireland by Nigel Heneghan
28 Jan 2022,
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| (from left) Liam Collins, President, Cycling Ireland; Nicolas Roche; and Matt McKerrow, CEO of Cycling Ireland |
Elite riders prepare for European and World Championships
In a significant development for competitive cycling in Ireland, Cycling Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicolas Roche as Director Sportif for the Cycling Ireland Senior Road Program. The role will include preparation of athletes and attendance at the European Championships in August and the UCI Road World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Wollongong, Australia in September. The appointment takes place with immediate effect. In addition, Nicolas Roche will provide mentorship for Junior and U23 Teams.
Cycling Ireland is the National Governing Body for cycling across the island of Ireland and has 25,000 members and 500 affiliated clubs. The organisation sanctions over 1,000 competitive and non-competitive events and delivers cycling safety programmes to over 25,000 school children.
“This is a very significant move for Cycling Ireland and will help to ensure world-class preparation for upcoming major events including the European and World Championships. We are delighted that Nicolas Roche shares our ambition and vision and recognizes the potential we have. We very much look forward to working with him and developing the road program as we target Paris 2024,” said, Liam Collins, who is the recently-elected President of Cycling Ireland. “His competitive experience is at the highest level with a career spanning 17 years, spent at the very top of the sport. He has clocked up 1,270 days of competition, including a hugely impressive 24 starts and 22 finishes in cycling’s three Grand Tours.”
“Having recently retired from professional cycling I am delighted to be asked by Cycling Ireland to become part of the organisation in this manner. I am very taken by the ambition and vision for cycling in Ireland and I really look forward to working with athletes and staff in preparation for upcoming international events. I benefited from support and guidance throughout my career, and I am looking forward to giving back to junior and U23 riders and hopefully helping to develop a pipeline of Irish talent,” said Nicolas Roche.
“As a modern governing body, it is only right to engage retired athletes in this way and assist in their career transitions – we’re really pleased to have Nicholas supporting the current crop – the likes of Sam Bennett; while at the same time continuing to inspire a younger generation of future cyclists” said Matt McKerrow, CEO of Cycling Ireland. ”We have a number of further roles to fill in our High-Performance team and it’s very much our aspiration they will all bring the level of experience, knowledge and passion to the organisation that Nico does”.
A four-time Olympian, Nicolas Roche has proven a consistent performer recording no less than 64 top-10 Grand Tour stage finishes, including three stage victories at the Vuelta a España. Throughout his career he gained experience riding with seven professional teams, taking on the role of Road Captain in recent years. A devoted supporter of Irish Cycling, Roche rarely missed a National Championships and won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2016.
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