The blog was great for us who do be only the casual cycling enthusiast as it shed light on the wacky world of bike riding, the madness of the Tour, and – more importantly – the kick the competitors get out of the whole sch-bang.
It was much more than a simple chronicling of Roche’s determined resolve to secure a top fifteen finish: it was a diary of obsessive fans, crazy commentators, and a whole lot of craic.
Sometimes his video blogs were a little more telling when it came to his cycling commitment, e.g. here, collapsed after a particularly tough finish...
The blog was a great read if you wanted to learn about cycling stuff: the strategy for the day ahead, the width of the tyres to be used, the amount of calories to be consumed, how water bottles got from the team car to the front of the pack, etc. It even got taken up by the Irish Independent and he got his own daily column out of it.
But I much preferred hearing about the fun he was having, the gossip of the team, the occasional glass of wine he’d have before riding another 200km across the Alps while averaging over 40k/hr. It was hijinks and high-passes all the way.
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| Nicolas Roche, blogger. Sometimes cyclist. ©Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho |
Now Nico is in another Grand Tour: the Vuelta a España.
But more importantly he is back at the blogging.
So lots more talk of shopping trolleys, tricks on the director, and fistycuffs on buses. (well that’s not all entirely true... but it’s worth looking up!)
Currently our man is fifth in the Vuelta, his highest ever Grand Tour position. Another remarkable performance today saw him take time out of riders ahead of him and move further away from those behind.
The stage today from Gijón to Cotobello was the most demanding of the Vuelta thus far and will only be topped in terms of difficulty by the penultimate stage on Saturday. It featured three mountain passes: the first a relatively straightforward Category 3, followed by two enormous Category 1 climbs. The riders then faced yet another mountain: the gruelling Alto de Cotobello with the finish line at the summit. So steep is the gradient of this final ascent that the climb was "uncategorized" in its difficulty.
But the eighth rider to cross the line today was Roche and the result moved him further up in the General Classification, rewarding the faith that the team director showed in making Roche the team leader this year.
But it could have been a very different story on Saturday.
His last blog entry shows that disaster is waiting around every bend:
As we approached the bottom of the climb of Pena Cabarga, we were doing 75kph as each team tried to overtake each other on the main road and get their leader into the best position.
I was a bit far back in maybe 25th position but I had Rinaldo Nocentini and Biel Kadri [Roche’s teammates] with me to bring me nearer to the front. Knowing that the slightest touch of wheels can bring the whole lot down like a house of cards, I told the guys to bring me up on the right-hand side of the peloton, because I didn't want to ride in the centre. I was hoping that by being on the edge of the peloton I could run up on the grass and ride around anybody if they fell in front of me.
Simply riding in somebody else's slipstream uses 20-25pc less energy than if you had to ride out in the wind and Rinaldo and Biel did a superb job for me again, thundering along on the edge of the peloton, cutting into the wind. But suddenly, there was a bang and the unmistakable sound of bike metal scraping off the road. Somebody had crashed.
I glanced across to see race leader Igor Anton fly over his handlebars at about 75kph in his red jersey. There was a big wave in the peloton as his bike flew across the road and cut down more riders, who in turn, created a domino effect behind them.
I found out later that Anton had hit a piece of wood in the middle of the road. Just because you crash, though, doesn't mean the race waits for you, so he tried to get back on his bike, which is always your first reaction.
If you crash at a slow part of the race, there's a good chance you will be able to regain contact with the bunch. You hop on your bike, chase hard and regain contact with the peloton. Only then do you start looking at your wounds and the race doctor can treat you on the move so you don't lose time.
Anton crashed at the fastest point of today's stage, a crucial point. Even if he had superficial injuries he would have had trouble getting back into contention and probably would have lost his race lead, but by finishing the stage, he could have fought another day.
Blood streamed down Anton's arms and legs as he picked himself up off the ground. His shorts were torn and his race leader's jersey was in shreds. Still he wanted to carry on. As soon as he threw his leg over the saddle, though, he realised something was wrong. As well as having a few serious looking lacerations on his legs and arms, his elbow was broken and his Vuelta, a race that he looked capable of winning, was over.
Nico could easily have been one of the nine riders from Saturday not to have started today. Instead he has a chance at the podium.
Funny old game.
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