Nicolas Roche repays Sky's 'freedom' with Vuelta victory
Irishman Nicolas Roche gives Sky something to cheer about at the Vuelta a España after Chris Froome's withdrawal
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter


Chris Froome began the Vuelta a España with the attention, but Nicolas Roche brought Sky its first win in the race.
On a day when Wout Poels celebrated in the Tour of Britain, Roche out-sprinted escape companion Haimar Zubeldia (Trek Factory Racing) for the 18th stage in Riaza northwest of Madrid.
The win also helped Sky stay at the top of the teams’ classification, a battle they are trying to win against team Movistar before the Vuelta pulls to a stop in Madrid on Sunday.
"I'm pretty sure already I'll have a message by now from Chris, we have a great relationship," Roche said after stepping off the podium with the winner's flowers.
>>> Dumoulin holds off Aru as Roche wins Vuelta a España stage 18
"He's been very supportive, and I thanked him for letting me attack on the first day. It's been good to get a bit of freedom, and great to be able to make the most of it because don't get so many opportunities."
The 31-year-old joined from team Tinkoff-Saxo over the winter to help Froome. This spring, he was assigned to Richie Porte and helped him win races like Paris-Nice, and this summer, he turned his attention to Froome with wins in the Critérium du Dauphiné and of course, the Tour de France.
>>> Five talking points from stage 18 of the Vuelta a España
Roche already had his opportunity in stage two, but after Froome left the Vuelta with a broken bone in his foot, the green light shined brighter.
It was not easy as Roche crashed twice in the race and scraped and bruised his right hip. It took him a four to five days to recover. He benefited from Tuesday's rest day and Wednesday, when Sky let him go easy in the time trial.
Watch: Vuelta a Espana essential guide
"We had a few days of misfortune. It was big blow losing Chris Froome, tough to lose our GC opportunity, and I was really struggling with my hip," Roche said.
"There was also good days: Mikel and Ian raced well, Ian Boswell placed [third] on a mountain stage.
“We've been very aggressive, and it's been good to see a more aggressive team Sky in the Vuelta. It's not the Vuelta everyone wanted, but not a bad Vuelta."
Thank you for reading 5 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.
-
-
Uttrup Ludwig takes a brilliant stage win at the Tour of Scandinavia
The Danish champion takes the mountain top win and the overall lead with one stage to go after an impressive showing from the Brits
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Specialized Align II review - budget friendly helmet brings MIPS to the people
Not only do you get MIPS at an almost unbelievably low price, but this helmet is well made and a good fit too
By Paul Grele • Published
-
Your verdict on the Vuelta a España: Brilliant, perfect, better than the Tour de France
We asked Cycling Weekly readers what they thought about this year's Vuelta a España, and were surprised by the response
By Nigel Wynn • Published
-
Dumoulin power data reveals true story of Vuelta a España ride
Dutch rider says he has "no good reason" not to share his data from the Vuelta a España publicly
By Gregor Brown • Published
-
Police recover stolen £9,000 Vuelta a España bike, being sold for £90
Police return stolen Scott Foil to Orica-GreenEdge team after spotting it on sale in a shop in Malaga for just €120
By Stuart Clarke • Published
-
Fabio Aru wins 2015 Vuelta a España as Degenkolb takes final stage in Madrid
Fabio Aru finished the final stage of the Vuelta a España safely to seal his maiden Grand Tour win as John Degenkolb took the stage
By Stuart Clarke • Published
-
Dumoulin's Vuelta performance has the Dutch dreaming of Tour de France glory
Tom Dumoulin was the surprise leader of the Vuelta a España after 19 stages, leading the Dutch fans to start dreaming of their first Grand Tour winner since 1980
By Gregor Brown • Published
-
Tom Dumoulin deeply disappointed with Vuelta a España loss
Despite winning two stages and his time in the Vuelta a España lead, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin says he only feels disappointment
By Gregor Brown • Published
-
Fabio Aru's 'never give up' spirit wins the Vuelta a España
Fabio Aru explains how team-work on the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a España netted him the lead
By Gregor Brown • Published