Nico Roche
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Nicolas Roche (; born 3 July 1984) is an Irish former professional
road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...
who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has twice been national champion and has twice finished in the top ten of the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
, and won stages in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. He started a total of 24 Grand Tours, finishing 22, and he took a total of 65 top 10 finishes in Grand Tour stages, including 43 on the Vuelta. He represented
Ireland at the 2008 Summer Olympics Ireland competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China. It was the 19th Summer Games that Ireland contested as a nation under the Olympic Council of Ireland. Medalists Athletics 16 Irish athletes qualified for 17 different Olym ...
in the road race. He has competed for Ireland 7 times at the road world championships.


Early life

Roche, who was born in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in suburban
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, is the son of former cycling champion Stephen Roche and his former wife, Lydia, nephew of former cycling professionals
Laurence Roche Laurence Roche (also written as Lawrence Roche) (born 15 October 1967 in Dublin) is a former professional Irish road racing cyclist. He was a professional from 1989 to 1991, where he rode for the for two years and then for Tonton Tapis–GB te ...
and
Neil Martin Neil Martin (born 20 October 1940) is a Scottish former football player, who scored 100 league goals in both Scotland and England and won three full international caps for Scotland in the 1960s and 1970s. Known for his strength, power, bravery ...
and cousin of 2008 Irish road champion
Dan Martin Daniel Martin may refer to: People *Dan Martin (actor) (born 1951), American actor *Dan Martin (drama educator) (born 1953), American academic *Dan Martin (cyclist) (born 1986), Irish road bicycle racer *Dan Martin (footballer) (born 1986), British ...
. In childhood he resided in both
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and France. He lived in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
from 1996 to 1999, where he was educated at the
Lycée Français d'Irlande In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
in Foxrock for two years, and Blackrock College, a private school, for one year. During this period he was a keen soccer and rugby player. He moved to southern France in 1999, where he spent most of life since.


Career


Early years

He turned professional at the end of 2004, with team and became one of the youngest
UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...
racers. As his father is Irish and his mother French, Roche had dual nationality as an amateur. In early 2005, Roche was told by French officials to choose between his two nationalities. Roche declared for France as he was planning to spend the rest of his life in France. The loss of Roche was a blow to Irish cycling, as he had won the 2002 Junior Tour of Ireland and finished third in the 2004 Irish Elite championship. However, six months later, the UCI and
Cycling Ireland Cycling Ireland ( ga, Rothaíocht Éireann) or CI is the operating name of the national governing body of the sport of cycling in the island of Ireland. Formally the body is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the Irish Cycling Federat ...
told Roche he was given incorrect information, and that he could compete for Ireland and keep his two nationalities, which he did. During his first two years, he was often a domestique, but he did get a few good results, mostly in French Cup races. His first win as a professional was a stage in the 2004
Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents ...
, a race known as a mini-
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
for riders under 25. He wore the yellow jersey for two days and finished tenth overall. He was in major breakaway in the 2006 World championships in
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. Soon after, he signed a two-year contract with on the back of his many good results this season.


Credit Agricole (2007–2008)

In 2007, Roche rode the Giro d'Italia. In June, he won the Irish National Time Trial Championships (CN) in Dungarvan. He came also fourth in the Road Race Championship. Due to injury, Roche withdrew from the
Tour of Ireland The Tour of Ireland (Irish: Turas na hÉireann, known from 1985 to 1992 as the Nissan Classic) was a bicycle stage race held in August, which ran for 35 editions over a 56-year period. Irish rider Seán Kelly recorded the most wins, four. Th ...
and missed the World Championship. Roche had planned 2008 for the Giro d'Italia but organizers RCS did not invite his team. He changed his schedule, and finished sixth in the
Tour Ivoirien de la Paix Tour Ivoirien de la Paix was a professional road bicycle racing event held in Côte d'Ivoire in 2008. The 6-day stage race was part of the UCI Africa Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were ...
, 15th in
Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas is a three-day professional cycle road race held in Spain in May each year. The event was first run in 1984 but was not held in 1988 and 1990. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...
in Spain and won a stage in
GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis The GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Portugal. Since 2006, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle rac ...
in Portugal. After finishing seventh of the
Tour de Wallonie The Tour de Wallonie is a stage race cycling race on the UCI Europe Tour. It runs in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium in the end of July. Between 1974 and 1995 it was reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a ...
, he competed in the Beijing Olympic road race, teaming with
Philip Deignan Philip Deignan ( ga, Pilib Ó Duígeannáin; born 7 September 1983) is an Irish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and squads. A former Olympian, Deignan won a stage in the 200 ...
, won a stage in the
Tour du Limousin Tour du Limousin is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. It was first held in 1968 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2011 it was upgraded to an 2.HC The UCI 1.HC and UCI 2.HC ar ...
, and was then picked for his first
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
. Roche had good performances in the Vuelta, nearly winning stage 18 into Las Rozas, where he was outsprinted by Imanol Erviti after a 17-man breakaway. Roche had three top-ten and ten top-20 stage finishes, finishing a fine 13th in the general classification, during what was only his second
Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
. Roche along with Deignan and Roger Aiken made up the Irish team for the 2008 World Championship in Varese. Roche was in an early crash and retired.


Ag2r (2009–2012)


2009

Roche signed a two-year contract with following the disbandment of . For most part of the year and after a solid performance in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Roche was in consideration for the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
team and after winning the Irish National Road Race Championships for the first time in June 2009, it was announced that Roche had been selected by to ride his first Tour de France the following month. He had a fine debut Tour, finishing in 23rd place overall and 5th in the points classification. He had five top ten placings in the race and finished 2nd on stage 14.


2010

After a good early season, where he finished 10th in
Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
, 5th in the
Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...
and 2nd in the Irish National Road Race Championships, Roche was chosen as the co-leader of the team in the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
and during the race he wrote articles for the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' newspaper. Roche finished 15th overall, but could have been a few ranks above had he not lost four minutes to the race leaders because of a flat tyre in stage 15. After the Tour, Roche finished 8th in the
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
and in September, he led at the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
. His performance was even better than during the Tour de France, as he was really close to the best climbers of the race, losing very little time in stages with a mountain top finish. He finished 7th overall however was promoted to 6th overall after
Ezequiel Mosquera Ezequiel Mosquera Míguez (born 19 November 1975) is a Spanish former road bicycle racer. He has finished in the top 5 of the Vuelta a España in all appearances, and finished second in 2010, after putting in a strong time trial and winning the ...
's second place was annulled. He finished only five minutes and three seconds behind overall winner Vincenzo Nibali. This place was the best in a Grand Tour by an Irishman since 1988. The performance lifted him to 32nd in the year end UCI World Rankings with 148 points. Roche was part of the three-man Irish team at the 2010 World Championships in September.


2011

Roche's season was hampered by injuries and crashes, particularly by one in the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...
He entered the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
as a team leader again, but quickly realized he had not fully recovered from the crash and could not hope for a good general classification. He got in a number of unsuccessful breaks in the final week, hoping to grab a stage win, and eventually finished 26th overall. He also rode the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
, finishing 16th overall. In October, Roche won the 3rd stage of the inaugural Tour of Beijing. This marked his first international victory in three years and his first win on the World Tour. He finished the season world ranked 150th with 19 ranking points. Roche published a memoir in 2011 called ''Inside the Peloton''. It was the winner of the Sports Book category at that year's
Irish Book Awards The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...
.


2012

Roche renounced his French citizenship in 2012, becoming solely an Irish national. He showed some form with top-20 finishes in
Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
and the Tour of California. He finished 10th overall in the
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
, and 2nd and 3rd respectively in the National Road Race and Time Trial Championships before riding the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
. Roche moved up to seventh overall on the first mountain stage seven which finished on
La Planche des Belles Filles La Planche des Belles Filles () is a ski station in the Vosges Mountains, in France. It is located in the Haute-Saône département. Since 2012, the climb to the summit has been used several times during the Tour de France cycle race. Etymolog ...
. However he lost time over the time trial on stage nine and rest of the mountain stages. On stage 18, Roche broke clear of the peloton in the last with
Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Gil (born 24 November 1983) is a Spanish road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Sánchez's major achievements include winning the overall classifications of the 2009 Paris–Nice and the 2005 Tour Down ...
. The pair passed the day's breakaway and looked set to contest the stage win only to for Mark Cavendish to sprint past in the final . Roche sat 11th overall heading into the time trial on stage 20 and targeted a top ten finish, but a weak time trial saw him drop a place to 12th. Roche, along with Dan Martin and
David McCann Dave or David McCann may refer to: * David McCann (cyclist) (born 1973), Irish racing cyclist * Dave McCann (Canadian football) (1889–1959), Canadian Football League player, official, coach, and executive * Dave McCann (sportscaster), evening ...
, represented Ireland in the Olympic Games Road Race. He then rode the Vuelta a España where he had a good start and sat seventh overall by the second week of the race. However, he struggled through the last week of the race and dropped down to 12th overall by the end of the race.


Tinkoff–Saxo (2013–2014)

On 1 August, it was announced that Roche would leave at the end of the 2012 season, ending an eight-year association with French-registered teams. He signed a two-year contract with for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.


2013

Throughout much of the season with including the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, he rode as a domestique for
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
with few results. After a good performance at the
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
finishing 5th, he was given leadership at the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
. On 25 August, Roche won stage two of the Vuelta by breaking away with three others on the final climb at the end of the stage from Pontevedra to Alto Do Monte Da Groba. Roche held the leader's red jersey until stage 8, and also held the lead of the points, mountains and combination classifications at one stage in the race. On stage 8 Roche lost the jersey finishing eight seconds behind
Daniel Moreno Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand ...
to fall one second behind in the general classification. After stage 13 Roche was 2nd overall but on a cold day to Andorra on stage 14 he dropped to 6th overall. He went on to finish 5th overall in the general classification, his best result to date in a Grand Tour. He would later state that he felt that the 2013 Vuelta was the highlight of his career. Later that year Roche again competed for Ireland in the World Championships and the
World Time Trial Championships In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
where he finished 13th.


2014

Roche had few early season results before participating in the Giro d'Italia which started on the island of
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and was given the role as co-leader with
Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...
. Roche also took part at the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
as a domestique to
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
. Before the Tour, Roche won the overall classification of the Route du Sud ahead of Alejandro Valverde. He won the queen stage win in the process and also the points classification. This was his first stage race victory and was a race which his father also won in 1985. Roche went into the
Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...
expecting a good result and placed 5th overall.


Team Sky (2015–2016)


2015

In 2015, Roche left to join . On 10 September, Roche won stage 18 of the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
in a sprint finish against Haimar Zubeldia.


2016

After a disrupted winter training due to more than one spider infection while riding, Roche struggled with few early season results. At the end of April Roche competed in the Tour de Yorkshire looking for a good result. On the final stage Roche attacked a group of favourites alongside Thomas Voeckler where he was beaten in the final sprint to the line. This gave him 2nd place overall in the general classification. After this race it was confirmed that Roche would take part in the Giro d'Italia for a third time in his career. Roche started the race as a backup general classification rider to
Mikel Landa Mikel Landa Meana (born 13 December 1989) is a Spanish professional road cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . His career breakthrough came at the 2015 Giro d'Italia where he won two stages and finished third overall. Career Early career Lan ...
in the first five days of racing, where he was placed in the top 10 overall. His form faded over the race but helped his teammate
Mikel Nieve Mikel is the Basque adaptation of the given name Michael. Notable people with the name include: Footballers * Mikel Alonso (born 1980), Spanish Basque footballer and older brother of retired Spanish international Xabi Alonso * Mikel Álvaro (bo ...
win the
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
. In June Roche completed the double at the
Irish National Cycling Championships The Irish National Cycling Championships are annual cycling races to decide the Irish cycling champion for several disciplines, across several categories of rider. The men's road championship is usually held on a Sunday at end of June; the wome ...
winning the time trial ahead of
Eddie Dunbar Edward "Eddie" Dunbar (born 1 September 1996) is an Irish road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Team Sky (2018–22) Born in Banteer, Dunbar joined in September 2018, after his previous team – whom he had joined at the ...
and
Ryan Mullen Ryan William Mullen (born 7 August 1994) is an Irish professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Birkenhead, England, Mullen attended Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay, Wales. While he was attendi ...
, and winning the road race ahead of Matt Brammeier. However, he was not selected for the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, having started the previous seven editions of the race from 2009 to 2015.


BMC Racing Team (2017–2018)

After leaving Team Sky, Roche joined the for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.


Team Sunweb (2019–2021)

In September 2018 he confirmed that he had agreed a contract with for 2019, with a role as a domestique for
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
in the latter's effort to win the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
. Roche took the Red Jersey on Stage 2 of the
2019 Vuelta a España The 2019 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain, Andorra and France between 24 August and 15 September 2019. The race was the 74th edition of the Vuelta a España and is the final Grand Tour of t ...
after being part of a six-man group who attacked in the final kilometres of the stage. He held the jersey until Stage 5, however he crashed out on stage 6, being one of four riders to abandon due to the crash. He was fifth in the general classification at the start of the stage. In September 2019 it was announced that Roche had extended his contract with Team Sunweb for a further two years. On 27 May 2021 he finished 3rd on Stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia. Roche retired from competition after the Irish national road race championships in October 2021.


Personal life

Roche currently resides in
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, having previously lived in
Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...
, Italy until 2013. He married Spaniard Deborah Robles on 23 October 2015, the couple split two years later in September 2017. They have one child together. Roche co-owns Roca Sports, a bicycle shop in
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
.


Media appearances


''Dancing with the Stars''

In 2022, Roche appeared on the fifth series of the Irish version of ''Dancing With the Stars''. He was partnered with professional dancer
Karen Byrne Karen Byrne (born 30 May 1992) is an Irish dancer and choreographer. She is known as being one of the professional dancers on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars. Early life Byrne was born in Ballyfermot in Dublin. She has been dancin ...
. They were eliminated at the quarter-final stage, finishing in sixth place, after losing the dance-off to
Ellen Keane Ellen Keane (born 6 April 1995) is an Irish Paralympic swimmer and gold medallist competing in S9, SM9 and SB8 classification events. Career Keane won three bronze medals at world championships before winning a bronze medal in the 100 m brea ...
and
Ervinas Merfeldas Ervinas Merfeldas (born 18 August 2002) is an Irish ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer. Early life Merfeldas was born in Celbridge in Kildare to Lithuanian parents. He attended Scoil Na Mainistreach. He has a younger brother. Care ...
.


Series 5

; ''Dancing with the Stars'' performances Average: 17.4; Place: 6th


Major results

;2004 : 2nd Overall Tour du Loir-et-Cher : 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 8th Overall
Ronde de l'Isard The Ronde de l'Isard is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It is organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union C ...
: 8th
Paris–Mantes-en-Yvelines Paris–Mantes-en-Yvelines is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the U ...
: 9th
Tour du Jura The Tour du Jura is a one-day cycling race held annually in Switzerland. It is part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationa ...
: 10th Grand Prix d'Isbergues ;2005 : 4th
Tour de Vendée Tour of Vendée is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in October (Previously May) in the region of Vendée, France, finishing in a circuit inside La Roche-sur-Yon town. From 2005 until 2009, the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the ...
: 6th
Tour du Finistère Tour du Finistère is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April around the city of Quimper, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, also being part of the Coupe de France de cyclisme sur route ...
;2006 : 4th Road race, National Road Championships : 4th Overall
Paris–Corrèze Paris–Corrèze was a road bicycle race held annually in France, usually between a department near Paris and the department of Corrèze. It was created by Laurent Fignon and Max Mamers. It was first held in 2001 and since 2005 it has been organi ...
: 8th
Polynormande The Polynormande is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Normandy, France. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium. Since 2003, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental ...
: 10th Overall
Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents ...
::1st Stage 4 : 10th
Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over th ...
;2007 : National Road Championships ::1st Time trial ::4th Road race : 5th
Polynormande The Polynormande is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Normandy, France. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium. Since 2003, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental ...
: 6th
Grand Prix de Denain Grand Prix de Denain is a professional cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions whi ...
: 9th
Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over th ...
: 9th
Tro-Bro Léon Tro-Bro Léon ( en, Tour of Léon, french: Tour du Léon) is a professional cycle road race held in Finistère, Brittany. The event was first run in 1984 as an amateur race before becoming a professional race since 2000. The race was established ...
;2008 : 1st Stage 1
GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis The GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Portugal. Since 2006, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle rac ...
: 1st Stage 1
Tour du Limousin Tour du Limousin is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. It was first held in 1968 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2011 it was upgraded to an 2.HC The UCI 1.HC and UCI 2.HC ar ...
: 4th Road race, National Road Championships : 6th Overall
Tour Ivoirien de la Paix Tour Ivoirien de la Paix was a professional road bicycle racing event held in Côte d'Ivoire in 2008. The 6-day stage race was part of the UCI Africa Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were ...
: 6th Rund um den Henninger-Turm : 7th Overall
Tour de Wallonie The Tour de Wallonie is a stage race cycling race on the UCI Europe Tour. It runs in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium in the end of July. Between 1974 and 1995 it was reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a ...
: 8th
Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over th ...
;2009 : 1st Road race, National Road Championships ;2010 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd Gran Premio dell'Insubria-Lugano : 4th
Grand Prix of Aargau Canton Grand Prix of Aargau Canton (german: Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau) is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Aargau canton, one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. The race consists of fifteen laps around the Swiss town of G ...
: 5th Overall
Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...
: 6th Overall
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
: 8th
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
: 10th Overall
Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
;2011 : 1st Stage 3 Tour of Beijing : 4th Road race, National Road Championships : 5th Giro del Piemonte : 8th
Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato The Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Prato, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicy ...
: 10th
Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over th ...
;2012 : National Road Championships ::2nd Road race ::3rd Time trial : 10th Overall
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
;2013 : 5th Overall
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
::1st Stage 2 :: Held after Stage 8 :: Held after Stages 2–3 :: Held after Stages 2–9 :: Held after Stages 2–8, 11–13 : 5th Overall
Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...
: 5th
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
;2014 : 1st Overall Route du Sud ::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 2 : 5th Overall
Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...
:
Combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of ...
Stage 11
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
;2015 : 1st Stage 18
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
: 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Tour de Romandie ;2016 : National Road Championships ::1st Road race ::1st Time trial : 2nd Overall Abu Dhabi Tour : 2nd Overall Tour de Yorkshire : 6th Overall
Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...
: 8th Time trial, UEC European Road Championships : 9th
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
;2017 :
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
::1st Stage 1 ( TTT) ::Held after Stages 1–2 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (; en, Tour of the Valencian Community or Tour of Valencia) is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community (''Comunitat Valenciana''), Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often ...
: National Road Championships ::2nd Time trial ::4th Road race : 3rd Overall
Tour of Guangxi The Tour of Guangxi (officially known as the GREE-Tour of Guangxi for sponsorship purposes) is an annual professional cycling stage race held in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The race consists of multi-stage and is part of the UCI ...
: 4th Giro dell'Emilia : 10th
Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...
;2018 : 4th
Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
: 5th Overall
Arctic Race of Norway The Arctic Race of Norway is an annual multiple stage bicycle race held in northern Norway. The first edition was in 2013, from 8 August to 11 August, and lasted for four days. The organising partners are Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and Arcti ...
: 10th Overall Tour of Turkey ;2019 : 10th Overall
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
:
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
::Held after Stages 2–4 ;2020 : National Road Championships ::2nd Road race ::2nd Time trial : 7th Overall Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var :
Combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of ...
Stage 6
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
;2021 : 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships


Grand Tour general classification results timeline


References


Further reading

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External links

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Nicolas Roche
at Cycling Base * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Nicolas 1984 births Living people People from Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Irish male cyclists Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Ireland Irish Vuelta a España stage winners People educated at Blackrock College