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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Irish pro Nicolas Roche showed that recent position tweaks and work on the time trial bike may be paying off when he posted a solid showing in the prologue of the Tour de Suisse in Lugano today.
The Ag2r La Mondiale rider finished 25th in the test, covering the 7.3 kilometre distance in ten minutes 14 seconds. His time was 31 seconds off the day’s winner Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), just nine seconds off a place in the top ten, and level with team leaders Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank).
For a rider who has previously finished around 40th or 50th in races against the clock, it’s an encouraging sign that he is making progress in an area that has traditionally held him back.
Roche told Irishcycling.com in the buildup to the race that he was hopeful of seeing a change in this area.
“I was in the TT tunnel the week before California. Obviously it didn’t have a direct influence on my TT in California as that didn’t go well, but I have been using the TT bike as much as possible since then to get used to the new position,” he said. “There was a fair bit of change and it takes a while to settle in.
“The guys doing the tests predicted certain improvements in time, giving figures for a forty kilometre TT with certain wind conditions, and so on. I don’t want to focus too much on those details as they are just figures. I just want to regard it as being a better position, I feel better in it, and I need to keep working on it. But it should be faster all right.
“I am not going to go from fiftieth to top five, but if I can post some good time trials and stick in the top twenty and not lose two or three minutes every time, then that should be okay.”
In that light, 25th today will be an encouraging result for him, as it shows things are heading in the right direction.
Sagan holds a four second lead over the rider he pipped in today’s test, Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Nissan). Young Liquigas-Cannondale competitor Moreno Moser is a further three seconds back in third.
The race continues tomorrow with an important leg, a 218.3 kilometre race from Verbania to the summit finish of Verbier. Roche has said he wants to chase a top ten finish overall in the race, and the final climb tomorrow will give him a clear indication if that target is possible.
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Tour de Suisse (WorldTour):
Stage 1, Lugano:
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 7.3 km TT in 9 mins 43 secs
2, Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) at 4 secs
3, Moreno Moser (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 7 secs
4, Martin Elmiger (AG2R La Mondiale) at 11 secs
5, Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Pro Team Astana) at 15 secs
6, Michael Albasini (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team) at 17 secs
Irish:
25, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) at 31 secs
Teams:
1, Liquigas-Cannondale, 29 mins 50 secs
2, RadioShack-Nissan, at 8 secs
3, Astana Pro Team, at 26 secs
4, Omega Pharma-Quickstep, at 29 secs
5, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 33 secs
6, AG2R La Mondiale, at mins 35 secs
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