Nicolas Roche confident Sky can reign in Spain

Nicolas Roche starts the 15th Grand Tour of his career today when he lines up as part of a formidable-looking Team Sky squad for the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana in the southern port town of Puerto Banus.

It’s an incredible record and what is all the more remarkable is that Roche has finished every one of those races since his debut in 2007.

The Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta A Espana are all landmarks on the racing calendar but Roche is unequivocal about which is his preference. “The Vuelta is my favourite of the three because I always seem to go best there; I’m sure if I went better in the others I might say those too,” he laughed.