Eighth overall heading into the stage, Ireland’s Nicolas Roche will today learn if he has the climbing condition to fight for a place in the final top ten of the Vuelta a España. The Ag2r La Mondiale rider has been performing well thus far in the race and sits one minute 21 seconds off the lead, but knows it will be his performances on the longer climbs which determine where he will be placed in Madrid in a week and a half’s time.
“Tomorrow will be an important stage,” he told VeloNation yesterday evening. “There will be long mountains, the first high altitude mountains as well, so I will see how I can cope with that.
“Thus far, I have shown that I am able to go well on the nasty, steep ones, but this is a different type of climbing. The nasty steep ones actually suit me better than the long ones, so it will be interesting to see if I am still capable of holding my position on GC. After tomorrow, I will know if I can continue to aim for a top ten, or if I will be further back.”
Roche first showed an ability to ride well in the general classification of Grand Tours when he finished thirteenth overall in the 2008 Vuelta a España. On that occasion he rode solidly in the high mountains, although he did also gain time in a break to Las Rozas, where he was second on the stage. Fourteenth on l’Angliru and 14th again in the Navacerrada time trial showed that he finished the race strongly.
Since then, he has ridden two Tours de France, placing 15th overall this July. He is undoubtedly a stronger rider than he was in 2008, but his Vuelta chances will depend on how well he has recovered from the Tour.
“Nicolas is riding well thus far, but I think the key will be the third week,” said fellow Irishman Sean Kelly, former world number one, to VeloNation. “He dug deep in the Tour de France and so we’ll have to see how he has recovered from that.
“It’s also difficult when a guy is doing two Grand Tours in one season for the first time. He’s ridden well so far, though, so hopefully he can keep it going.”
Roche has had a very solid season with a number of important performances. He has progressed to the point where he is the clear team leader in Ag2r and went into the Vuelta with two goals; a high overall finish, and also a stage win. The second goal is complicated by the first, as he admits; being well-placed in the general classification means that he can no longer slip into breakaways and so as long as he remains close to the leader’s red jersey, he will be watched.
If he lost time in the mountains, he would have a better chance of nabbing a stage. However he doesn’t want to think that way; asked recently by VeloNation which he would pick if he had to choose between a stage win and a top ten overall, he was clear in his answer. “I’m not greedy, but I’d pick both,” he said, laughing.
Thus far, things have gone to plan vis-à-vis the general classification. He has been close to the big guns in the mountains, and has also clocked up stage placings of sixth, eighth and tenth on the flatter stages.
The 26 year old rode solidly on yesterday’s 175 kilometre race to Vilanova i la Geltrú, finishing with all of the main contenders and retaining that eighth place overall. “I was feeling okay,” he said afterwards. “Not the best I have been feeling in these last ten days, but not terrible. I was strong enough when they accelerated on the climb, I was there, but overall I think I was feeling better two days ago.”
Rather than being the start of a general fatigue setting in, he thinks those sensations were linked to the break in racing on Monday. “I never really liked the rest days, really, even at the Tour,” he said. “I suffered like blazes the day of the Madelaine, for example.”
Today’s 208 kilometre eleventh stage brings the riders from Vilanova i la Geltrú to the Vallnord/Pal ski resort in Andorra. The summit is 1,900 metres above sea level and it is certain that riders will ramp up the battle and arrive in small groups. The first three riders in the general classification are separated by just four seconds, and so Joaquin Rodriguez (Team Katusha), Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) will be to the forefront, fighting tooth and nail to gain time over each other.
Roche is one minute 21 seconds back, and is just four seconds off the sixth place of Ruben Plaza (Caisse d’Epargne). If things go well, he could consolidate his overall position or even move up. It all depends on how his form and reserves are at this point of the year.