CYCLING:NICOLAS ROCHE will tomorrow line out in the longest of the Classics, the 296km Milan-San Remo in Italy. The 24-year-old will be making his debut in the race and doesn't know what to expect after a below-par performance in his last event.
“I was very disappointed with Paris-Nice, I wasn’t expecting to be going as bad,” Roche said yesterday. “I was struggling to finish in the top-50 on the mountain stages when I had in mind top-20. I am still having a hard time losing those last three kilos, and at that level every kilo counts.”
He suggested he had perhaps done too much training before the race, and has taken things a little easier this week. After checking out the Tour de France prologue course on Monday, he did a reconnaissance ride over the Cipress and the Poggio on Tuesday, two key climbs in Milan-San Remo. He followed this with a six-and-a-half-hour ride Wednesday, after which he scaled back in order to be fresh tomorrow. “I will give it my best shot anyway, that’s for sure.”
In the absence of last year’s winner, Fabian Cancellara, riders such as Tom Boonen, Alessandro Petacchi, Thor Hushovd and Paris-Nice winner Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne) figure among the favourites.
In other news, An Post and the Irish Sports Council have joined forces to encourage a greater number of people to cycle.
A five-event An Post Cycle Series, beginning with the Tour of Sligo on May 10th, continues each month until September. Clare, Meath, Waterford and Cork are the other venues.
