Ireland’s Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin both preserved their high overall placings in the Vuelta a Espana yesterday and look well poised to strike for the race lead today.

Nicolas Roche remains third overall at the Vuelta a Espana following day three of the race from Mijas to Malaga yesterday. 

Nicolas Roche has described the ‘disrespect’ his Team Sky squad endured from spectators over the weekend.

Ireland’s Sam Bennett turned around a difficult opening week at his debut Tour de France with a fine 10th place finish on yesterday’s seventh stage.

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.

Mark Dowling won the Des Hanlon Memorial in stunning fashion yesterday, blitzing the stellar field to win before a huge crowd in Carlow.

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.

Giant-Shimano’s John Degenkolb won his second straight stage of the Vuelta a Espana ahead of a frustrated Nacer Bouhanni in Rondo yesterday while some smart thinking saw Chris Froome pull back a couple of seconds in the general classification battle.

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.

Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche believes disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong should be given back the seven Tour de France jerseys he was stripped of after being found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs throughout his career.

Peter Sagan won yesterday’s seventh stage of the Tour de France into Albi, just about seeing off the challenge of fellow fast-men John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) and Daniele Bennati (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) after the 205-kilometre trek from Montpellier.

Just over a month after returning to the sport following a two-year doping ban, Spain’s Alberto Contador (SaxoBank-Tinkoff Bank) wrapped up overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana as the race finished on the streets of Madrid yesterday.

Alberto Contador has won the Vuelta a Espana title for the second time after he held off the challenge of Alejandro Valverde in the final stage between Cercedilla and Madrid.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche went painfully close to ending his wait for a Grand Tour stage win yesterday when he was caught mere metres from the line on the 19th stage of the Vuelta A Espana from Peñafiel to La Lastrilla.

Ireland's Nicolas Roche remains in seventh place overall after today's 10th stage of the Vuelta Espana.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche has continued his rise up the General Classification at the Vuelta a Espana after finishing 14th on yesterday’s 164 kilometre seventh stage from Huesca to Alcañiz.

Irish cyclist Nicolas Roche has moved up to sixth place in the Vuelta a Espana after finishing in the main group today today.

Nicolas Roche remains in seventh place overall after stage six of the Vuelta Espana today.

Nicolas Roche is still firmly in contention after he finished safely in the bunch on the fifth stage of the Vuelta a Espana today.

ALEXANDER WETTERHALL (Sweden Team Sprocket Pro) left many of the big names scratching their heads in wonderment after he built on his midweek escape to claim overall victory in the FBD Insurance Rás which concluded before a huge crowd that turned out in glorious sunshine in Skerries yesterday.

Alexander Wetterhall (Sweden Team Sprocket Pro) left many of the big names scratching their heads in wonderment after he built on his midweek escape to claim overall victory in the FBD Insurance Rás which concluded before a huge crowd that turned out in glorious sunshine in Skerries today.

RACE leader Alexander Wetterhall (Team Sprocket Pro) is bracing himself for another tough day of climbing as today’s penultimate stage of the FBD Insurance Rás takes the riders into the Wicklow Mountains.

TONY MARTIN, one of the favourites for this year’s Tour de France, won the FBD Insurance Rás three years ago and the team he led back in 2007, Thuringer Energie, is set for a return for this year’s edition of Irish cycling’s showpiece which gets under way on May 23.

COLOMBIAN Fabio Duarte took his country’s first amateur world road race title at the U23 cycling championships in Varese, Italy, yesterday.