Roche ready for 'Le Tour'

Nicholas Roche on a training ride during the Rio Olympics in August 2016.

INPHO/MORGAN TREACY

Nicholas Roche has been named in the eight-rider Team Sunweb for the 2020 Tour, de France, which is now due to start in Nice on Aug. 29 and will end in Paris on Sept. 20. It will be Roche’s 10th “Le Tour,” the same number as his father Stephen started. His previous best result was 12th place in 2012. The 36-year-old said: ‘‘Everything must be done to try and salvage a season, which like all other major sporting events in Europe, was greatly impacted by the spread of the coronavirus.’’ Le Tour will bring Roche’s number of Gran Tour starts to 23, already surpassing his father’s total of 15 and also ahead of Seán Kelly, who made 21 Grand Tour starts in total, including 14 in Le Tour.

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