Nicolas Roche will roll down the start-ramp at Paris Nice this Sunday for the opening stage of the race. The Irishman faces a massive week where his goals are to improve his own form while protecting the interests of the flying Geraint Thomas.
By Brian Canty
Nicolas Roche and Matt Brammeier are the two Irish riders competing in Paris-Nice which starts on Sunday and runs until the following Sunday.
Roche will have a key role in the team once again as their main focus will be the General Classification, with Geraint Thomas leading their challenge.
It’s been an amazing year for the Welshman who has really proved his versatility by winning the toughest one-day classics to challenging on GC for WorldTour stage races like the Tour de Suisse and even the Tour de France.
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Roche has never been too far away from Thomas for some of his biggest moments and it’ll be his job to protect him all week, especially in the higher mountains.
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“I’ll be supporting Geraint this week,” said Roche.
“He’s in superb form as everyone saw with his win in the Algarve and we want to keep that going for next week.”
Roche hasn’t been at his best, by his own admission, but another hard week of racing should bring him on quite a lot as the season enters a crucial phase.
“I’m feeling better now after a tough winter, though I still need lots of work. But I’m getting there, slowly and surely.
“Paris Nice is a race I like an awful lot. I know the roads towards Nice quite well and I know the race very well.
“The weather has been quite unstable the last while with crazy wind and rain but here’s hoping for a good week of racing.”
Also in the Team Sky line-up are Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift, while Ian Boswell, Sergio Henao and Mikel Nieve will provide a wealth of support when the race hits the mountains.
For Brammeier it’ll most likely be about seeing what Serge Pauwels can do on GC while also sniffing for any opportunities that might come his way.
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