Nicolas Roche takes first stage race overall win

Route du Sud victory is first general classification win for Irishman Nicolas Roche, as he heads into the Tour de France

Nicholas Roche escapes on stage eleven of the 2014 Giro d'Italia

(Image credit: watson)

Irishman Nicolas Roche gave his pre-Tour de France morale a big boost on Sunday, claiming the overall win in the Route du Sud in France.

The Tinkoff-Saxo rider's victory in the three-day race is his first stage race overall win in a 10-year career. Roche set up the win by claiming Saturday's stage, finishing with an ascent of Val Louron.

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.