Late blow for Roche’s team as Colombian rider refused visa

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.

The nine-man team has now been forced into a late reshuffle with Australian rider Jay McCarthy replacing the Colombian.

The Omega Pharma Quickstep and other teams also complained about the delays in getting their riders visas to race. Russian pair Maxim Iglinsky and Alexi Lutsenko, of Team Astana, both failed to get clearance and subsequently returned home while Venezuelans Yonder Godoy and Jackson Rodriguez were unable to depart their base in Italy with the rest of the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela team.