Nicholas Roche - cheap shot
Today Nicholas Roche, and a Cofidis rider, launched attacks towards the end of the stage to Gap; and they were successful with GC contender Roche gaining 1' 21" on rival GC contenders. A successful move you would think. However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peleton had collectively decided to call a racing truce. Consequently noone raced Roche and he gained an uncontested 1' 21". In boxing parlance - it was a cheap shot.
Although no rules were broken I would think that his actions would not have best pleased his rivals and he could well have stirred up opposition in future stages and races. I remember reading that Tom Simpson broke some umwritten rule that he was aware of - subsequently in Paris - Nice rivals took an opportunity to ruin his day the moral being , 'what goes around comes around'.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
Although no rules were broken I would think that his actions would not have best pleased his rivals and he could well have stirred up opposition in future stages and races. I remember reading that Tom Simpson broke some umwritten rule that he was aware of - subsequently in Paris - Nice rivals took an opportunity to ruin his day the moral being , 'what goes around comes around'.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
T Farr
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Haven't watched today. Why have they chosen not to race today?0
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Did everyone in the peleton vote on this 'racing truce'?0
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You can't just decide to take the day off. If Alberto had attacked I'm sure he would be followed.
Over three weeks you have to gain time where you can, Roche did that today, fair play to him0 -
No it's not, it's good opportunism.
Who called a truce? How did they decide? Was there a vote? Did they ask Roche?
I doubt there was a truce as you say. It was just no team could be bothered to chase.
The only people who will be upset with Roche will be those who are kicking themselves for not thinking of doing it themselves.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Tim Farr wrote:Today Nicholas Roche, and a Cofidis rider, launched attacks towards the end of the stage to Gap; and they were successful with GC contender Roche gaining 1' 21" on rival GC contenders. A successful move you would think. However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce. Consequently noone raced Roche and he gained an uncontested 1' 21". In boxing parlance - it was a cheap shot.
Although no rules were broken I would think that his actions would not have best pleased his rivals and he could well have stirred up opposition in future stages and races. I remember reading that Tom Simpson broke some umwritten rule that he was aware of - subsequently in Paris - Nice rivals took an opportunity to ruin his day the moral being , 'what goes around comes around'.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
Complete and utter crap. If they didn't want him to get away they should have chased him down. It was a good move. They are racing cyclists yet today they wanted to ride it like a Sunday club run and to be honest no-one seemed bothered by the two riders going away.0 -
Tim Farr wrote:However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce.
Apparently not everyone agreed.Tim Farr wrote:
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
I seem to recall Roche was critical of the peleton following the events of stage 2. Refusing to race shows a much greater lack of respect for both the race and the public.0 -
Who exactly decides a stage it is a truce anyway? What if Contador had decided to ride off, would everyone have just shrugged their shoulders and said we ain't racing today it's too hot and hilly.0
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but there was a 4 man breakway that was joined by 2 other escapees, if there was a truce surely the peloton would have made tis clear afetr the 2 went. Goodon you roche for having the balls to treat the stage with respect on a day that means a lot our froggy chooms.The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.0 -
Yep, and get some coverage for his French sponsor at the same time which is ultimately how the sport survives.0
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Tim Farr wrote:Today Nicholas Roche, and a Cofidis rider, launched attacks towards the end of the stage to Gap; and they were successful with GC contender Roche gaining 1' 21" on rival GC contenders. A successful move you would think. However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce. Consequently noone raced Roche and he gained an uncontested 1' 21". In boxing parlance - it was a cheap shot.
Although no rules were broken I would think that his actions would not have best pleased his rivals and he could well have stirred up opposition in future stages and races. I remember reading that Tom Simpson broke some umwritten rule that he was aware of - subsequently in Paris - Nice rivals took an opportunity to ruin his day the moral being , 'what goes around comes around'.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
well done nicholas if the above is true
how many bloody "truces" can they have in a tour and if there was one today,what on earth for?regarding his dad,he was totally scathing of cancellaras shenanigans on stage two which were,lets face it,merely delaying tactics to get andy and frank back to the peleton,hopw stupid were the rest of them to fall for that.0 -
Tim Farr wrote:Today Nicholas Roche, and a Cofidis rider, launched attacks towards the end of the stage to Gap; and they were successful with GC contender Roche gaining 1' 21" on rival GC contenders. A successful move you would think. However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce. Consequently noone raced Roche and he gained an uncontested 1' 21". In boxing parlance - it was a cheap shot.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
Interesting then that Stephen Roche said on Eurosport he'd discussed this very tactic with Nicholas this morning before the stage started and had suggested it would be a good place to take a minute or so back if a big break had gone up the road and had been allowed leeway to win the stage.
His only concern was that he'd warned Nicholas that he shouldn't attack if the sprinters were still in the group as he feared they'd chase him down because of the green points situation and the younger Roche would have wasted energy. As it turns out they didn't and he gained time.0 -
To suggest Stephen Roche was some paragon of virtue when it came to the unwritten rules of racing is hysterical. Just ask Jean Francois Bernard.0
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There was no such thing as a truce, most teams just didn't care to chase. Also who are his "rivals"? The epic battle for 16th place in GC?0
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Bernardus wrote:There was no such thing as a truce, most teams just didn't care to chase. Also who are his "rivals"? The epic battle for 16th place in GC?
Well you have to admit - it'd be pretty funny if he beat 1 million pound man Bradley Wiggins.
I'm personally sick of all these go slow's and truces. I don't understand why the teams that didn't bury themselves don't go on the offensive. If teams want to burn themselves up on one day - then they should be forced to pay for it.The British Empire never died, it just moved to the Velodrome0 -
I think Roche was ok to do what he did but I still think top 15 is going to be very hard and top 10 almost impossible"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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[quote="Tim Farr"]
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
SR was never a stickler for respect ..............some examples : doing over team-mate Vinsentini in the 87 Giro , missing the start of the Tdf team timetrial when he was at Tonton Tapis , turning the Tdf presentation in Dublin into an appreciation festival of all things Roche much to the dismay of other Irish stars present like Kelly and Earley , the accrimonious divorce from his wife Lydia .He apparently caused contract problems with almost every team he had dealings with .To cap it all there are the links with Conconi in Italy at the end of his career .
Saint Stephen he ain't0 -
And silly me, I could have sworn it was a bike race.0
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Thought it was a good move - pity nobody tried something on one of those descents too.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
But he's half French anyway, and thus he has dispensation to try whatever he wanted today.
Good on him for actually racing- I'm fed-up with all these go-slows, neutralised for no reason races and so on.0 -
All Hail the Greatest/Weakest race ever. I'm as tired of this guff as I am of the 'racing'...
Stone me, but at least there was action in the drug era...0 -
Tim Farr wrote:Today Nicholas Roche, and a Cofidis rider, launched attacks towards the end of the stage to Gap; and they were successful with GC contender Roche gaining 1' 21" on rival GC contenders. A successful move you would think. However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce. Consequently noone raced Roche and he gained an uncontested 1' 21". In boxing parlance - it was a cheap shot.
Although no rules were broken I would think that his actions would not have best pleased his rivals and he could well have stirred up opposition in future stages and races. I remember reading that Tom Simpson broke some umwritten rule that he was aware of - subsequently in Paris - Nice rivals took an opportunity to ruin his day the moral being , 'what goes around comes around'.
Roche's actions are surprising given that Stephen Roche is a stickler for following protocol in pro racing and having 'respect' for the race, fellow riders, the public etc etc
Guess what? If they really had a problme with it, they'd have chased him down. That's what Lance, Hinault, Merckx and Anquetil all did when they were the Patron. (Merckx, I think, had the best one, when he found out one of his teammates was signing with another team so he chased him down and obliterated him, and the peleton, on the stage)0 -
"Why not?" says Roche to attacking his Tour rivals
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ivals.htmlinterview.cyclingfever.com0 -
Nothing wrong with what Roche did, and I doubt any rival teams are going to get worked up enough about a minute odd.
More likely the immediate rival individuals, like Rogers, are kicking themselves they didn't go with. I don't think the top GC contenders would have bothered upping the pace if he'd gone too.
As for "the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce", I understood this wish really only came from Saxo-Bank, although I imagine BMC might have soon seconded it.0 -
"Oh no, Roche is 1min plus up the road, however we can't put our teams to chase as the unwritten rule is No racing today". They just couldn't be bothered chasing him down, they had 13 odd km to do so and didnt.0
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Its a race, what do you want him to do?
Did I miss the press release detailing that Saxo get to decide when the racing is on or not?"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Certainly some teams will be annoyed that he sneaked away but that's how the race works, you need to be vigilant at all times. Whilst it was intelligent, if anything Roche's move was a sign of weakness, he'll probably get a kicking in the Pyrenees.0
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I want to spend a day in Tim Farr's world...Ben
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Kléber wrote:Certainly some teams will be annoyed that he sneaked away but that's how the race works, you need to be vigilant at all times. Whilst it was intelligent, if anything Roche's move was a sign of weakness, he'll probably get a kicking in the Pyrenees.
More a recognition of his own limitations. He knows he'll always lose time in the high mountains, so he needs to grab what he can when he can. If the others don't like it, they can chase him down.
Did Moreau and Popovych also break the truce with their late attacks?It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0 -
Tim Farr wrote:However this was not a normal racing day; it was a day on which the peloton had collectively decided to call a racing truce.
Where's your evidence for this then, Tim? Quotes from whom? Or is it just your opinion?
Sure, the peloton decided to take it easier yesterday, but call a truce? Don't think so...0
