Family affair as Roche set to battle cousin Martin

WITH three of Ireland’s four Olympic cyclists in the field, Sunday’s national road race championships in Midleton promise to be the most competitive in recent years.

The event will bring down the curtain on an action-packed programme that includes the time trial championships at Raheenagh, near Dromcolliher, this evening (7pm); the women’s road race championships at Glounthaune in Cork tomorrow and then the senior and junior championships on the Ballinacurra circuit.

Nicolas Roche, who defends his time trial title tonight, will go to the line as a slight favourite to win the road race title for the first time after winning the race dedicated to his father — the Stephen Roche Grand Prix — in Dundrum on Wednesday.