NICOLAS ROCHE HAS lost the race lead and the red jersey at Vuelta a Espana but confirmed his contender as a genuine challenger with a performance steeped in determination.
The Saxo-Tinkoff rider finished eight seconds behind local favourite Danie Moreno to drop down to second overall in the General Classification. Moreno leads the way after his stunning win at Valdepeñas de Jaén and is in red due to 10 bonus seconds he picked up on an energy-sapping day in the saddle.
Roche finished just outside the top three so there were no bonus seconds forthcoming. He did extremely well to match the solo darts from his rivals and was well cared for by his Saxo teammates. Vincenzo Nibali is third overall, some 20 seconds back.
Here are the closing stages of a thrilling day’s cycling:
YouTube credit: Tour de France
This lad is the real deal..hard to believe he’s 24 years of age..a rapid enough rise to international rugby,but is just what was needed…he’s here for the long haul to if he stays injury free..definitely will start with the lions..
Haha 11 starts for Ireland and he “Definitely ” will start for the lions! Will ye ease off and see is he good enough at least after the 6N.
Absolutely Furlong is the real deal but expect Cole to start with Furlong more explosive off the bench.
@Kevin O’brien: Itoje is pretty much a definite for the Lions. He’s only played 7 times for England.
A big six nations to follow on from the autumn series and we’ve another legend in the mix.
A few years ago I watched as he destroyed a huge AB loose head in the junior world cup. I think for most people who watched that game his rise to the top is no surprise. I also believe Mike Ross has been a superb mentor at Leinster and he will have benefited hugely from his input.