Nicolas Roche has put in a very decent climbing shift at the Tour Cycliste International du Var et des Alpes Maritimes (2.1).
It was a comeback outing for the Irishman yesterday as he had not raced since he crashed out of the Vuelta on stage 6 and fractured his kneecap at the end of last August.
Roche usually takes lots of hard racing to reach top condition but he can be content with his first ride of the 2020 campaign.
On the uphill finish at the end of the opening stage a trio of escapees came in just ahead of what remained of the peloton, which was down to 16 riders on the finish line.
Roche was in that group, at the back of it, and on the right side of the many splits behind him as the late incline combined with the riders' speed to split the field to pieces.
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The stage was won by Anthony Perez (Cofidis), who saw off Anthony Turgis (Total Direct Energie) in the sprint to the line.
That duo just about survived from the early breakaway to fight it out for the stage win and first leader’s jersey of the three-stage race.
They had been clear with Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (NTT
Pro Cycling) and Nigel Ellsay (Rally Cycling), both of whom lost their places
up front.
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Roche’s team mate Michael Storer attacked on the final
climb and managed to get clear of the disintegrating peloton.
And while the young Australian ran out of road in his efforts to catch the two leaders, he finished just four seconds down on Perez.
Storer was two seconds down on runner-up Turgis and two seconds up on the 16-man group breathing down his neck.
That group was led home by Thibaut Pinot; the
Groupama-FDJ rider who last year claimed the overall title at the race, formerly
known as Tour de Haut-Var.
The result means Perez now leads overall by two seconds from
Turgis with Storer 3rd at four seconds and the 16 riders in the group headed by
Pinot, including Nicolas Roche, all six seconds off the yellow jersey.
Yesterday’s stage 1 was over an undulating 186.8km from Le Cannet to Grasse with a 3km climb to finish.
Roche did well to stay in the group having been out of action for so long; and with a serious injury for the first part of his lay-off.
He was starting his 17th season as a professional cyclist, including his debut as a stagiaire for the last part of the 2004 campaign with Cofidis.
Saturday’s stage 2 is another lumpy course; some 175.7km
from Pégomas to the finish on Col d’Eze.
The race concludes with stage 3 on Sunday; 136km from La Londe to Le Mont Faron with two late short sharp climbs, including an uphill finish.
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