Nicolas Roche will be riding for others this year, but when his own chances come he said it will be up to him to seize them.
By Brian Canty
Nicolas Roche has said he cannot wait to start racing next Wednesday when he makes his Team Sky debut at the five-day Ruta Ciclista Del Sol in the south of Spain.
It’s been over four months since the Irishman pinned on race numbers but he’s eager to get going and is motivated to get the season off to a flying start.
A star-studded field is down to start the race with Roche’s team leader Chris Froome, Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Jean Christophe Peraud (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing) among those set to do battle.
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“I’m excited to get going now, it’s been a while,” enthused Roche.
“I stopped racing quite early last year, just after the World Championships. So I’m looking forward to getting going again.
Roche has not raced since the World Championships in Spain way back in September. This time last year he was struggling to shake off a knee injury but he has no such problems this time around (Photo: Sirotti)
“Winter has been good and I’ve done a lot of hard work. I was in Spain for about two weeks in December trying to get a bit of heat.
“Then I was back in Monaco in the New Year and back out to Majorca for two weeks with the team again recently.
“For the last two and a half weeks I’ve been down in Monaco and the weather has been quite good so I’ve been able to get some good training in.”
In the early part of the season, Roche will ride Paris-Nice where Richie Porte will lead Team Sky.
And later in the year his efforts will be geared towards that all important fixture of the Tour de France, where former winner Froome will be hunting for a second outright victory.
But he will get chances of his own too, provided he’s in good condition.
Roche with two former Tour winners; father Stephen and Chris Froome, who will be trying to take the title again in Paris this July.
“I’ve been working for leaders before but if I’m at my best I’ll have opportunities for myself - and it will be my role to seize them,” declared the former Vuelta stage winner.
“I believe if I’m at my best and training and doing everything I can for the team leader, sooner or later I’ll have an opportunity or an opening where I’ll have to attack or make the race harder and that will fall in my favour at some stage.
“I’m going to do everything I can for our team leader, knowing I’ll get a chance and knowing it’ll be my goal to make the most of it.”
Of his exact personal ambitions for the year, he said the one-day Clásica San Sebastián a week after the Tour de France was a race he hoped to target.
“It’s a race I’ve always tried to do well in and I’ve had a good few results there but the main goal for me this year will be to support Chris.”
Roche goes from riding for Alberto Contador to supporting his great rival Chris Froome at the Tour de France.
Speaking of the Tour, it’s expected to be another showdown between Froome, Quaintana, Nibali and Contador.
Roche has been one of the latter’s most loyal lieutenants for the last two seasons but now the shoe is on the other foot as he’ll be trying to plot the Spaniard’s downfall.
“I think Alberto’s biggest strength is that he’s unpredictable and he can attack anyone at any time of the race,” said Roche.
“It’s not something they’re asking me at Sky; I don’t know all his tricks so in that respect it’s not much of an advantage (that I was his teammate).
“If I’m dropped in the grupetto I won’t be giving much help!
“No, really, I think my biggest help will be on the actual physical side rather than anything else.
The high point of Roche's career to date came at the Vuelta in 2013 when he wore the race leader's red jersey and won a stage. He believes he will get a chance for personal glory with Sky despite his obvious team commitments.
Settling into the world’s biggest team after he departed Saxo-Tinkoff has been a seamless transition for Roche.
And he has his fellow Irishman Philip Deignan to thank in no small part for that.
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“Definitely, I know Philip since I was 14 years old so we go back a few years now.
“Even though our programmes are quite different so I’m not quite sure when I’ll be seeing him.
“He was great to me at the first camp, reminding me of some of the names of the staff and making sure I was settling in.
“And he was helping me with getting to know people and explaining how the team worked and just making it easier for me.
Youthful enthusiasm: Left to right, Nicolas Roche, Philip Deignan and Fumy Beppu photographed in the summer of 2003 when trying to break into the big time while riding for top French amateur team VC La Pomme Marseille.
“But I knew quite a few of the riders and the staff as well and they’ve done the maximum to help me settle in.
“I think I’ve settled in and they’re happy with me. It’s a place I really enjoy. I feel at home here.”
This will be Roche’s 11th year in the professional ranks – and he has absolutely no intention of retiring any time soon.
“The time has flown. I definitely feel like I’m getting older, though I don’t feel old.
“I feel I’ve done quite a lot of racing but on the other hand it’s a good thing that it’s flown and I feel like I can go on for another long while.
“I certainly hope I can do another 9 or 10 years and that’s something I really want to focus on.
Roche is yet to get his season underway but he seems to be settling into Team Sky with ease.
“Then on the other side anything can happen and my career can stop earlier; a bad crash.
“Or maybe I lose the focus and can’t cope with getting older or family or whatever but I certainly hope I can go on as long as I can.
“I’d like to stay involved in cycling as long as I can. I’m not someone who say ‘I’ll hang up the bike and not look at it again. I can’t see that happening.
“I’m involved in a few things off the bike like importing and selling cycling equipment and a few things like that.”
Roche said to stay on top of his game he needs to do more and more every year.
Riding the junior time trial at the World Championships in 2002 in Zolder. Roche said he can see himself racing for another 10 years, but which time he will be in his 40s.
“There’s more detail, the proportion of riders who are doing everything right is getting bigger every year and every year you have to do more and more and more and more.”
One down side to pushing past the 30 years mark, he said, is having to be even more meticulous with his preparation.
“As I get older I find I feel I need to do more. Not only because I’m getting older but because everyone else is doing more.
“Everyone is paying more attention to diet. Everyone is training better.
“It’s the evolution of cycling which makes it harder. There’s more detail, the proportion of riders who are doing everything right is getting bigger every year.
Philip Deignan, left, already has one excellent season under his belt at Team Sky and has been showing Roche the ropes.
“And every year you have to do more and more and more and more. You see the level, it’s getting higher.
“I remember when I turned pro I don’t think I was as good as some of the young neo-pros now.
“You see some amazing talents at 21 or 22 and they’re some of the top guys whereas it took me a good two or three years before I was any way competitive.
“I won races before that but I do feel riders who turn pro now are better prepared and they come from Conti or ProConti teams and they’ve benefited from a good set-up.
“You see guys on the U23 teams and they’re amazing.”
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