Nicolas Roche has had a very tough few months but he is hoping to get back on track at the Arctic Race of Norway.

Nicolas Roche set for Arctic Race of Norway

Following a challenging time in his career of late, Nicolas Roche now faces into the Arctic Race of Norway.

The Irish rider was forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia back on May, his first big goal of the season.

He endured a poor race from the outset and his below par form later morphed into riding himself to a standstill.

On stage 15 he made the difficult decision to climb off his bike. He said later he could ride no further.

It was the first time he had ever abandoned a Grand Tour. Roche then took some time to recover and returned to action at the Tour of Poland.

While the opening stages were for the sprinters, the later ones would have suited the BMC Racing man much better.

However, he fell ill before the climbing started and was forced out. He came down with a severe stomach bug and had difficulty consuming food and drink.

While he limped on and hoped to recover, unfortunately that didn't come to pass. And on stage 3, just as the race was about to hit the climbs, he was forced out.

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He completed the race that day but made the decision not to start the following morning as he was so ill.

And so now he is hoping to get his season back on track again at the Arctic Race of Norway. The first of four stages takes place today.

The race features short sharp climbs on each stage, though Sunday's finale is the only day with an uphill finish.

Vuelta ride at stake

A strong performance  in the race, and putting some decent form together, may influence the rest of his season.

Nicolas Roche would normally be an automatic selection for the Vuelta. It is a race he has won two stages in and also held the leader's jersey.

However, given the interruptions to his programme, he will need to demonstrate he has the form to make BMC's Vuelta selection.

#ArcticRace Team presentation ✔️

Tomorrow, we race! pic.twitter.com/knRHwQt9di

— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) August 15, 2018