Nicolas Roche will miss Tour de France 2018. Above, winning the Irish road title as a Team Sky rider two years ago (Photo: Toby Watson)
Nicolas Roche to miss Tour de France 2018
Irish cyclist Nicolas Roche will not ride next month’s Tour de France. The BMC Racing man has ridden the Tour eight times to date.
However, he rode the Giro d’Italia in May and would abandon that race. It was the first time he had ever pulled out of a Grand Tour in 19 starts.
Roche had ridden the Giro three times before this year’s event. And after doing so he did not ride the Tour on two occasions; in 2007 and 2016.
In 2014 he rode both races. In most seasons during his pro career he has ridden two Grand Tours.
Related News
And this year he is expected to ride the Vuelta after skipping the Tour.
Advertisement
His absence from this year’s Tour is perhaps not unexpected. He said after the Giro he had been feeling very weak during the race. And he rode well below what he is capable of.
He is down to ride the National Road Race Championships in Sligo on Sunday. He will be in the hunt for a third title having been crowned champion in 2009 and 2016.
As expected, Richie Porte will lead BMC at the Tour de France. The Australian says he is aiming for a place on the podium in Paris.
He is seen as one of only a small number of riders who can challenge for overall victory.
Porte will be supported by a strong team on the race. It includes Stefan Küng, Michael Schär and Paddy Bevin.
Also in the eight-man line-up is Damiano Caruso along with Simon Gerrans, Greg Van Avermaet and Tejay van Garderen.
Topics
