Roche denied at the death

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.

Roche broke away from the peloton in the closing two kilometres with four others. The Irishman then jumped away on his own but John Degenkolb clawed his way back to Roche’s rear wheel and before he knew it, the peloton was on him, and Philippe Gilbert (BMC) came round him for the win.