Get in there!: Roche comes over the line just ahead of Haimar Zubeldia (Trek Factory Racing) for what was his second ever Grand Tour stage win. The Irishman has endured a difficult few stages since his crashes last week but has shown admirable spirit to fight back in the way he has done.
By Brian Canty
Nicolas Roche claimed his second Grand Tour stage win yesterday afternoon with victory on stage 18 of the Vuelta A Espana and after so many near misses in his career he said the win brought as much relief as joy.
It hasn’t been easy for him as he fell out of GC contention last week following crashes on successive days while it’s been no less trying for his Team Sky squad who lost Chris Froome to a broken foot eight days ago.
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But Roche, sporting heavy bandaging from crashes last week, savoured one of his finest moments before a massive crowd in the town of Riaza, an hour north of Madrid.
“I’ve had a few seconds and thirds, I’ve always been lacking that little bit in the finish but today it finally worked out,” he said afterwards.
“We rode together all the way to the finish; the two of us were really good to cooperate since the 15k to go sign.
“We really gave it a lot and I think that was our only chance,” he added in reference to efforts of his breakaway compatriot Haimar Zubeldia of Trek Factory Racing.
“Coming into the sprint I wanted to lead it out because Haimar is someone with a lot of experience and I’ve lost a few times to him in the past, a few times in San Sebastien for example.
“I didn’t want to have a slow-start sprint, I wanted a high-speed one to manage my own pace so when I smiled at the end it was because I was happy it worked and it was like ‘oh yes, for once I didn’t mess up’.
“I looked to see if Haimar’s shadow was coming up, I didn’t want to put my hands up in the air until I crossed the line, but once I did it was like….whoooa.”
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This is Roche’s sixth time doing the Vuelta and he’s always been in or around the top 10.
In 2013, he won a stage while he also spent time in each classification jersey so clearly, the race holds a place in his heart.
“The Vuelta is something I’ve never hidden my love for, it’s my favourite race.
“Since I discovered it in 2008 that’s where I started to get my first general classification results.
“It’s where I found I can be a competitor at GC level over three weeks.
“I really found this was my terrain, okay some years I come here and do better than others but I’ve always been quite competitive on stages.
“The way it’s raced suits me; the roads, the short, steep summit finishes suit me a lot better than the long Alpine stages.
“I also like to race in the heat and the Spanish fans on the side of the road are amazing.
“They’ve given me a lot of support over the years and I just enjoy coming here.”
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