Nicolas Roche
Cycling
BIOGRAPHY
Nicolas Roche represented Ireland in four consecutive Olympic Games. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he competed in the men’s road race, finishing 63rd. He finished 89th in the same event at the 2012 London Olympics. During the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Roche achieved his best Olympic result, finishing 29th in the men’s road race. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he completed the men’s road race in 75th place.
Throughout his 17-year professional career, Roche achieved notable successes, including two stage victories in the Vuelta a España (2013 and 2015) and national titles in both the Irish National Road Race Championships (2009, 2016) and the Irish National Time Trial Championships (2007, 2016). He also secured top overall placements in Grand Tours, finishing fifth in the 2013 Vuelta a España and sixth in the 2010 Vuelta a España.
Cycling runs in Roche’s family; he is the son of Stephen Roche, Moscow 1980 Olympian, winner of the 1987 Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and World Championship, and the cousin of fellow professional cyclist and Olympian Dan Martin.
OTHER CYCLING ATHLETES
CYCLING NEWS
Performance Round Up July 2026
Athletics LONDON DIAMOND LEAGUE Mark English delivered one of the finest performances of his career as he smashed his 800m personal best to finish second at the London Diamond League on Saturday. The Donegal athlete clocked a stunning 1:42.97, dipping below the 1:43 mark for the first time and becoming just the latest Irish athlete [...]
EVENTS COMING UP IN AUGUST
Athletics World U20 Championships, Eugene, Oregon: 5-9 August European Athletics Championships, Birmingham: 10-16 August Lausanne Diamond League: 20-21 August Silesia Diamond League: 23 August Zurich Diamond League: 27 August Boxing European U19 Championships, Loznica, Serbia: 11-22 August Boxing Ireland U23 Championships, 7-22 August Cycling UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, Monteceneri, Switzerland: 30 July [...]
Irish Sailing and Rugby Sevens Shine in Action-Packed Weekend
Sailing McMahon Claims Sailing Bronze in California Eve McMahon secured a superb bronze medal at the Sailing Grand Slam event in San Pedro, California, after a composed performance in the Final Series against some of the world's best Olympic sailors. Racing took place in ideal conditions inside the bay, with 10–13 knots of breeze providing [...]
In The News – 13th July 2026
Three former Team Ireland European Youth Olympic Festival athletes spearheaded a week of outstanding performances for Irish sport, with Emer Heverin and Seth Dunwoody crowned European champions while Rían McCrystal claimed victory at the Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland. There was also international success for Shane Sweetnam in Sweden, where he secured a prestigious [...]
In The News – July 6th 2026
Irish athletes continued to make their mark on the international stage this week, with a junior world title in canoe sprint, a first international medal for diver Jake Passmore, and major victories in cycling and show jumping highlighting another impressive period of success across multiple sports. Sean Butterly Crowned Junior World Champion in Halifax Ireland [...]
Performance Round Up – June 2026
Athletics Mark English finished second in a high-quality men’s 800m field at the Rome Diamond League. The Donegal athlete clocked a season’s best time of 1:43.80, his second fastest ever over the distance, as he closed strongly in the final metres to challenge for victory. Sarah Healy delivered a personal best time of 14:48.88 in [...]