Nicolas Roche facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nicolas Roche

Roche, wearing the Irish national champion jersey, at the 2016 Tour of Britain.
Personal information
Full name	Nicolas Roche
Nickname	Nico
Born	(1984-07-03) 3 July 1984 (age 41) Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Île-de-France, France
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Team information
Current team	NR GRVL Trinity Racing
Role	Rider Directeur sportif
Rider type	All-rounder Domestique
Major wins
Grand Tours Vuelta a España 2 individual stages (2013, 2015) 1 TTT stage (2017) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (2009, 2016) National Time Trial Championships (2007, 2016)

Nicolas Roche (born 3 July 1984) is an Irish cyclist. He now competes in gravel cycling for his own team, NR GRVL. Before this, he was a professional road bicycle racer from 2005 to 2021. He rode for seven different teams during his career.

Nicolas Roche won twelve races as a professional road cyclist. This included four titles at the Irish National Cycling Championships. He won the road race twice and the time trial twice. He also won stages at the Vuelta a España in 2013 and 2015. He started 24 major races called Grand Tours and finished 22 of them. He often placed in the top 10 in stages, especially at the Vuelta a España. He finished in the top 10 overall twice in the Vuelta. Nicolas represented Ireland at the Olympics four times. He also rode for Ireland at the UCI Road World Championships eleven times.

After stopping road cycling in 2021, Roche became a directeur sportif. This means he helps manage a cycling team. He also works as a TV commentator for the Tour de France.

Early Life and Family

Nicolas Roche was born in a town near Paris, France. His father, Stephen Roche, was also a famous cycling champion. Nicolas is also related to other cyclists, including his uncle Laurence Roche and his cousin Dan Martin.

As a child, Nicolas lived in both Ireland and France. He lived in Dublin from 1996 to 1999. During this time, he enjoyed playing soccer and rugby. In 1999, he moved to southern France, where he has lived most of his life since.

Cycling Career Highlights

Starting as a Pro Cyclist

Nicolas Roche became a professional cyclist at the end of 2004. This made him one of the youngest riders in the UCI ProTour. Because his father was Irish and his mother French, Nicolas had dual nationality. At first, French officials told him he had to choose one country to race for. He chose France, thinking he would live there forever.

However, six months later, the UCI (the world cycling body) told him he could race for Ireland and keep both nationalities. He decided to race for Ireland. This was good news for Irish cycling.

In his first two years, Nicolas often worked as a domestique. A domestique is a teammate who helps the team leader. He still got some good results in French races. His first professional win was a stage in the 2004 Tour de l'Avenir. This race is like a mini-Tour de France for younger riders. He wore the yellow jersey for two days and finished tenth overall.

Racing for Credit Agricole (2007–2008)

In 2007, Nicolas Roche rode in the Giro d'Italia. In June, he won the Irish National Time Trial Championships. A time trial is a race against the clock. He also finished fourth in the road race championship that year.

In 2008, he had a strong year. He won a stage in a race in Portugal and another in France. He then rode in his first Vuelta a España. This is one of the three biggest cycling races in the world. He performed very well, nearly winning a stage. He finished 13th overall, which was a great result for only his second major Grand Tour.

Time with Ag2r (2009–2012)

First Tour de France

In 2009, Nicolas joined the Ag2r team. After winning the road race at the Irish National Cycling Championships for the first time, he was chosen to ride his first Tour de France. He had a great debut, finishing 23rd overall. He also placed in the top ten on five different stages.

Top Finishes and a Book

In 2010, Nicolas was a co-leader for his team in the Tour de France. He finished 15th overall. After the Tour, he rode the Vuelta a España. He had an even better performance, finishing 6th overall. This was the best Grand Tour result for an Irishman since 1988.

In 2011, Nicolas won a stage at the Tour of Beijing. This was his first international win in three years. He also published a book called Inside the Peloton. It won an award for best sports book in Ireland.

In 2012, Nicolas decided to become only an Irish citizen. He continued to perform well, finishing 10th overall in the Tour de Suisse. He also rode in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

Riding for Tinkoff–Saxo (2013–2014)

In 2013, Nicolas joined the Tinkoff–Saxo team. For much of the season, he worked as a domestique, helping his team leader. However, he was given a chance to be a leader at the Vuelta a España. On August 25, he won stage two of the Vuelta! He even wore the leader's red jersey for several days. He ended up finishing 5th overall, which was his best result ever in a Grand Tour. He later said this was the highlight of his career.

In 2014, Nicolas won his first stage race, the Route du Sud. He also won a stage in that race. This was a special win because his father had also won the same race in 1985.

Joining Team Sky (2015–2016)

Vuelta Stage Win and National Titles

In 2015, Nicolas moved to Team Sky. On September 10, he won stage 18 of the Vuelta a España. He won in a sprint finish against another rider.

In 2016, Nicolas had a great year at the Irish National Cycling Championships. He won both the time trial and the road race titles. This meant he was the national champion in both events!

Later Career (2017–2021)

Nicolas Roche rode for BMC Racing Team in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he joined Team Sunweb. He took the leader's red jersey on Stage 2 of the 2019 Vuelta a España. He held the jersey for a few days but unfortunately crashed out of the race on stage 6. He retired from professional road racing after the Irish National Cycling Championships in October 2021.

Gravel Cycling Today

In October 2022, Nicolas Roche started his own gravel cycling team called NR GRVL. Gravel cycling is a type of cycling that combines road and off-road riding. In May 2023, he finished third in a major gravel race in Australia.

After Road Racing

After retiring from road racing, Nicolas also became a directeur sportif for a cycling team. He led the team at the 2022 Rás Tailteann race.

Personal Life

Nicolas Roche lives in Monaco. He used to live in Italy. He was married to Deborah Robles and they have one child together. Nicolas also co-owns a bicycle shop in County Cork, Ireland.

TV Appearances

Dancing with the Stars

In 2022, Nicolas Roche was a contestant on the Irish TV show Dancing With the Stars. He danced with professional dancer Karen Byrne. They made it to the quarter-finals, finishing in 6th place.

Performances

Major Results

Source:

Grand Tour Overall Results Timeline

Grand Tour	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Giro d'Italia	123	—	—	—	—	—	—	30	—	24	—	DNF	—	—	59
Tour de France	—	—	22	14	25	12	40	39	35	—	33	—	45	64	—
/ Vuelta a España	—	13	—	6	16	12	5	—	26	—	14	40	DNF	—	—

See also

In Spanish: Nicolas Roche para niños