IrishCycling asks 20 questions |
|
20 THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK ……… NICOLAS ROCHE
I am 18, and was born on the 3rd of July 1984. 2. What club are you with? I am a member of Sprinter Club Nice. 3. How did you get started in cycling, and what do you like about the sport? When I arrived in Ireland in 1996, my dad told me that there was a cycling race on and asked if I wanted to do it. I agreed, and since then I have gone back each weekend. What I like about the sport is that it is both a team effort and an individual one, and also the fact that it can be carried out and enjoyed at any level of fitness. 4. What was your first win? What was your best, and why? My first win was a league race out at the Boot Inn. My best win was the Junior Tour of Ireland this year. 5. How often do you train? In the winter I would go out two or three times a week, and during the season between three and five. 6. What is your favourite training spin? It is about 110 kilometres long and runs along the sea front from Antibes to Cannes, Frejus and St. Raphael. I then head back to Cannes by the mountains. This return journey is known as the Tour of the Esterel, named after one of the mountains, and is a pretty hard ride. 7. What is your best result / performance to date? My best result, and performance, would be in the Junior Tour of Ireland 2002. I got two stages and the overall win. 8. What is your ambition in life, and how do you plan to work towards that goal? My ambition is to be successful, in cycling or in whatever else I might do. I am prepared to make sacrifices so that will help things. I believe that with ambition and willpower, we can achieve many things in life. 9. Who is your favourite professional cyclist, and why? I don’t actually have one in particular…there are so many riders I like, for different reasons. 10. Who is the biggest influence in your life, and why? It is probably my dad. Even though I sometimes disagree with him, I always end up listening. I have a great respect for him. 11. How do you relax? I unwind by going out with my friends. They help me to think about things other than cycling. 12. What is your favourite book and film? My favourite book is ‘Les Confessions’, by
Rousseau. As regards films, I like Heat, The Patriot and Gladiator. I have also competed in Belgium, Holland, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. 14. Who do you think will be the next Irish
rider to win a Tour De France Mark Scanlon 15. What is your favourite race? My favourite is the Alps Classic. 16. Who is the best rider you have competed
against? What impresses you I can't think of one in particular. It is difficult to say who was the best rider – everybody knows that in cycling form changes. I have raced against Mark Scanlon, he is a very strong rider but when we competed before, he was pretty far off his usual form. However, when I saw him at the Worlds he seemed to be extremely powerful. I have raced many elite riders, and also the top juniors in various different races. Some of them would impress me in different ways. 17. Have you tried mountainbiking? How did you get on? I did try it – in my first mountainbike race I was away out front, but I punctured. I prefer the road, though – it is not as dirty! 18. What qualities makes you a good cyclist? The will to win. Also the ability to be very determined, when it is required of me. 19. When the time comes, would you encourage
your kids take up the sport, Yes, I will. Cycling is good for a few reasons. You meet a lot of people in the sport. You learn a lot from the different conversation you have with them. Plus, it's healthy. 20. Describe yourself in one sentence? I am a positive-thinking and sincere person. |
20 QUESTIONS: