Nicolas Roche ready for tour of duty with Sky

Nicolas Roche has been named in Team Sky’s nine-man squad for the Tour de France, which starts in Utrecht in the Netherlands on Saturday.

It brings to an end a nervous few days waiting for the Irishman, who was omitted from a shortlist erroneously produced by the team last week. There was bad news for his teammate and fellow countryman Philip Deignan, however, as he was overlooked for selection.

The team is: Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh, Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe, Roche, Leonard König and Wout Poels.