Nicholas Roche announces retirement from professional cycling

Having spent 17 years in the men’s peloton, the last three of which were with Team DSM, Nicholas Roche is set to hang up his wheels at the end of the 2021 season.

Roche turned professional in 2005 and has spent an incredible 17 years riding at the highest echelons of the sport. Taking an impressive 12 wins throughout his career including two stages at the Vuelta a España, Roche has also started a mind-boggling 24 Grand Tours, completing a remarkable 22 of them. He’s also ended the Vuelta in fifth and sixth place on GC, alongside numerous other top 15 places in the overall classification at the Vuelta and Tour de France.

Upon joining Team DSM in 2019, Roche helped the team to some strong results throughout the year before claiming a brilliant second place on stage two of the Vuelta; a result which saw him move into the race leader’s jersey for the team, something he had done previously in 2013. Sharing his wealth of experience with the team’s riders throughout his three years in Team DSM, Roche has contributed to several victories, particularly at the 2020 Tour de France where he was an important member of team’s successful campaign there. 2021 has seen Roche spend his final season riding strongly in support of others, while also still showing good legs himself with hard-fought and hotly contested stage podium finishes at the Tour of the Alps and Giro d’Italia.