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Nicolas Roche was today given full confirmation that he will be part of the nine-man Saxo-Tinkoff team for the Tour de France which starts on Saturday week in Corsica.
The Irishman had been slated for a starting slot for months as team owner Bjarne Riis looked to build a squad around twice-winner of the race, Alberto Contador. And Roche will be one of the Spaniard’s key men in trying to help him take victory in Paris.
This will be new to Roche in a Tour de France as he has been team leader with Ag2r in the four Tours he has ridden thus far. However, he has already ridden in a support role with his new team this year; last week’s Tour de Suisse being the most recent example.
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Alongside Roche, the team features some strong men in the shape of Michael Rogers, Roman Kreuziger, Matteo Tosatto, Daniele Bennati, Sergio Paulinho, Jesus Hernandez and Benjamin Noval.
Contador, Paulinho, Tossato, Noval and Bennati are all former stage winners.
"I think we have found a great mix of in-form riders,” Riis said.
“We have a group of strong climbers in the team, we have riders designated to take care of Alberto on the flat roads and in the wind, and I'm sure we will perform well in the (team time trial) as well.”
“At the same time this team will allow us to ride aggressively or take a more controlling approach in all terrains depending on our needs. At the end of the day this versatility will be a key component in trying to win the race," he says.
That is a view echoed by the team DS, Philippe Mauduit.
"We enter this year's Tour de France with the objective to win the race with Alberto,” he said. “So obviously we've tried to pick the riders that fit the best to our overall goal, and we've tried to identify and bring together the competencies needed in the team to give Alberto the best possible support and protection over the three weeks on both flat roads and hectic finals, the hilly terrain, the mountains and the TTT," he added.
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