Nicolas Roche on move from Sky to BMC: 'I'll be able to express myself again'
Irish champion Nicolas Roche says that he will be helping Richie Porte at the Tour de France and riding for himself at the Vuelta a España with new team BMC
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Nicolas Roche says that he will be able to express himself again with team BMC Racing, after two years with his dream team Sky.
Cycling Weekly reported the Roche/BMC deal in July. He leaves Sky after two years of service that included helping Chris Froome win the 2015 Tour de France.
"Now with BMC, I should be happy there," the 32-year-old Irish champion told CW. "It suits me. I'll be able to express myself again as an individual and also to help Richie Porte."
Roche's goal, as with Froome, is to support his captain to a Tour de France win. This year, Australian Porte fought over the final Alpine passes and reached fifth overall.
>>> Nicolas Roche confirmed for BMC for 2017 season
"I was in the hunt for a new adventure," said Roche about his move to BMC.
"BMC gave me a good challenge to help Richie in the Tour and then, I think I'll be able to give it a good go in the Vuelta afterwards."
Porte also rode for Froome and Bradley Wiggins before moving to BMC to lead its Tour de France team. Roche rode in Sky's black colours from 2015 to 2016.
"I always wanted to go to Sky, since the team's debut. I'm an anglophone rider and I needed to ride with Sky. It was a tick in the box and I enjoyed my two years, and now it's time for a new challenge."
Roche believes he will find a mix of racing different to what he had in team Sky and in team Tinkoff, where he worked for Alberto Contador.
"I came from Tinkoff-Saxo, which had a much more aggressive way of attacking," Roche added.
"Sky was more about, 'Let's make the race the way we want the race to happen. If it works, fine, but at least you try to control the race.' It's a different approach. With Tinkoff, it was, 'Where are the weakness and where are we going to attack?' In Sky, 'Where are we not going to get attacked and how are we not going to fail?'
Watch: Team Sky pre-race activation exercises
"It was great to get the two approaches, and hopefully now, I'll be able to bring that on to BMC. Richie already has many experienced riders around him, but I'll add to it."
Roche had his chance to lead Team Sky in the Vuelta and won a stage last year.
>>> Nicolas Roche: Alberto Contador still has a lot to give
"When I signed with Sky two years ago, I said that I wanted to cross the line on the Champs-Élysées with the yellow jersey on my side. That was one of the most emotional days in my career,” he said.
"And my stage win in the Vuelta last year... I came into the Vuelta with a top five in my mind, but then I crashed twice. It took a week to get back. I had to fight mentally, and just to get that was a massive relief. The Vuelta was just not over after the first week. It was massive."
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
-
Ask a cycling coach: 'What's the ideal heart rate to burn fat while cycling?'
We take you through the biomechanics of weight loss - and the most effective approaches you can take
By James Spragg • Published
-
Belgian sets new World Record by riding 3,619km in a week
Matthieu Bonne staged his attempt in Arizona desert
By Vern Pitt • Published
-
CW Live: Olympic champion joins Women's WorldTour; Tom Pidcock tips Van Aert for Cyclo-cross Worlds; Arkéa-Samsic boss 'very interested' in Julian Alaphilippe; Deadline for 2024 Olympics tickets; LEJOG record holder back cycling after hit-and-run
A round-up of all the latest cycling news
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Egan Bernal has nose operation to help 'air passage' ahead of 2023
Procedure not thought to be connected to the life-threatening crash which affected Colombian last year
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tweets of the week: Ineos Grenadiers' three wise men, team jersey déjà vu and World Cup celebrations by bike
Here's our social media round-up, featuring a cycling all-star nativity
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Tweets of the week: Ineos go for a kickabout in Nice, Tom Pidcock for PM and the next MVDP
A roundup of the best cycling social media content out there from the past week
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers sign their first female rider
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot reported to be joining new Ineos mountain bike team, alongside Tom Pidcock
By Adam Becket • Last updated
-
Remco Evenepoel transfer to Ineos Grenadiers is ‘too stupid for words’ says Patrick Lefevere
Lefevere revealed he has been laughing at speculation around the new world champion
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers sign unknown 18-year-old Michael Leonard
Canadian is the latest young rider to join the British squad
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers sign 18 year-old time trial and track talent Josh Tarling
The 18-year-old is a two-time Welsh national track champion, and finished second in the 2021 junior worlds time trial
By Ryan Dabbs • Published