If the men from Saxo Tinkoff win the team time trial in Nice today and Nicolas Roche leads them over the line, he will be the first Irish yellow jersey on the Tour de France since his father Stephen last wore it in Paris 26 years ago.
Nicolas Roche could take the yellow jersey in the Tour de France after today’s team time trial back on the mainland after three days in Corsica.
The Irishman is sitting in 11th place overall, among 71 riders just one second down on yellow jersey Jan Bakelants (RadioShack Leopard).
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Crucially Roche is the highest placed of his team overall going into the 25km team test in Nice today and is higher in those standings on the basis of his placings on the three stages completed so far.
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It means if his Saxo-Tinkoff team was to win today’s time trial, which is a real possibility, and Roche led the team over the line, he would go into yellow; equal on time with his team mates but in the top position on the basis of stage placing count back.
Writing in his Irish Independent column today, Roche said he felt his team – led by big GC favourite Alberto Contador – had a chance of victory today but would need to beat strong teams like BMC, Sky, Movistar and Dan Martin’s Garmin-Sharp.
While Martin is also just one second down overall, he is in 59th place overall with three of his team better placed. It means if his team won today, it would be David Millar who would take the yellow jersey on the basis he is best place of the team, at 7th, in the general classification going into the time trial.
Roche, who lives in the area, said he knows today’s course “by heart”.
Writing in his Irish Independent diary, which is appearing every day during the race, he said: “I've lived in nearby Antibes for years and my parents live there too. I train on the roads three or four times a week when I'm home and would love to be able to stand on the podium with my team-mates as a stage winner at the Tour in my adopted home town.”
“It only occurred to me now that if we won the team time trial and I led the team over the line, I could go into yellow in my home town. I've always dreamt of winning a stage and even winning the team time trial and getting on the podium would be fabulous.”
“To lead the Tour de France and wear the yellow jersey in Nice is probably stretching it a bit much, but that's why they're called dreams.”
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