Nicolas Roche put up a brave fight in a bid to claim stage glory on yesterday’s 17th stage of the Tour de France but it was German Simon Geschke (Giant Alpecin) who emerged victorious with a brilliant solo victory.

Team Sky’s riders and management have staunchly defended the performance of Nicolas Roche following Sunday’s near miss at a stage win on the ninth day of the Tour de France.

World champions BMC won the Stage 9 team time-trial at the Tour de France yesterday, beating Team Sky by a single second as Chris Froome retained custody of the race leader’s yellow jersey.

Dan Martin’s luck was out again yesterday at the Tour de France as he crashed and conceded too much time on his main rivals to still be considered a contender for the General Classification.

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo)

Nicolas Roche has ended months of speculation on his future in the pro game, with confirmation yesterday he is to join Team Sky.

Nicolas Roche got Ireland’s UCI World Championships campaign underway in Ponferrada, Spain yesterday with a fifth-place finish in the Elite men’s team time-trial.

Ireland’s Dan Martin finished a career best in a Grand Tour yesterday when he finished seventh overall at the Vuelta A Espana.

Cycling Ireland last night named a strong team for the UCI World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain in two weeks’ time.

Ireland’s Dan Martin went desperately close to snatching a stage win on the 13th stage of the Vuelta A Espana as victory went to Spaniard Daniel Navarro, who was rewarded for a daring late attack.

Germany’s John Degenkolb claimed his third sprint victory of the Vuelta a Espana by winning stage 12 in Logrono yesterday as Ireland’s Dan Martin survived a rather stress-free day and remains 11th overall.

Nicolas Roche will be one of the race favourites for this month’s Friends Life Tour of Britain, after his participation was confirmed by his team Tinkoff-Saxo yesterday.

Michael Matthews pipped Dan Martin in a sprint finish to win the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana yesterday and claim the leader’s jersey.

Vincenzo Nibali completed victory in the 101st Tour de France in Paris yesterday as Marcel Kittel won the final stage on the Champs-Elysees-

Vincenzo Nibali looks to have secured his first Tour de France title today after completing the penultimate stage of the race.

Vincenzo Nibali has vowed to "honour the yellow jersey" by going all out for stage victory in today’s time trial on the penultimate day of the Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali wsays anted to show he was "the boss" in winning his fourth stage of the 101st Tour de France yesterday to all-but seal overall victory.

Poland’s Rafal Majka was thrilled with his second victory of the 2014 Tour de France as Vincenzo Nibali further enhanced his hold on the race leader’s yellow jersey after stage 17.

Mark Cavendish says he is recovering quicker than expected from the shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Tour de France but may still miss the World Championships in September.

Eddie Dunbar is still in the race leader’s yellow jersey after stage three of the Stena Ireland International Junior Tour yesterday was won by Matthew Teggart of the Nicolas Roche Performance Team.

German sprinter Andre Greipel believes he answered his critics after extending the country’s Tour de France sprint supremacy with victory on stage six yesterday from Arras to Reims.

Defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome became the second major casualty of this year’s race when he abandoned the race after a third crash in two days.

Defending champion Chris Froome was hoping to avoid any lingering after effects of his fourth stage crash as Marcel Kittel claimed a hat-trick of Tour de France wins in Lille on Tuesday.

German sprint sensation Marcel Kittel took his second stage win in three days at the Tour de France yesterday, blasting clear in the final metres to take a thrilling stage that concluded on The Mall in London.

Nicolas Roche is Ireland’s only rider in the Tour de France and the 30-year-old is predicting one of the best races in years.

Cycling: Ireland’s Nicolas Roche has won his first stage race as a professional rider, after he claimed victory in the Route du Sud in France yesterday.

American Andrew Talansky claimed the Criterium du Dauphine title yesterday on a truly epic final stage of the race.

German powerhouse Marcel Kittel proved for the second day in succession he is currently the best sprinter in the world when he stormed to victory on stage three of the Giro d’Italia in front of over 50,000 fans in Dublin’s city centre yesterday.

Dan Martin's Giro d'Italia dreams were ended on the opening stage in Belfast as he suffered a serious crash.

The Giro d’Italia’s Big Start is in Ireland this year – but what is the Giro, and why is everything pink?

Nicolas Roche’s Tinkoff-Saxo team have suffered a blow ahead of tomorrow’s Giro d’Italia start in Belfast, with new signing Edward Beltran having been refused visa access by the British Embassy.

Irish cycling legend, Vuelta winner and former world No 1, Sean Kelly has described as a “scandal” the lack of promotion by Tourism Ireland of the Giro d’Italia coming to Dublin in May.