Roche feels the heat after epic road battle

BEING the son of a famous father can have its disadvantages, and it just may have worked against Nicolas Roche in Saturday’s Olympic road race.

The riders in the peloton may just have been learning to cycle when Stephen Roche wrote his own special chapter in the history by winning the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and world championships in 1987.

But each time his son, Nicolas, attacked the peloton on Saturday, he was quickly reeled in, his peers clearly unwilling to allow freedom afforded to other riders who enjoyed long spells up the road.