Roche refines winning formula

With nine top ten places already under his belt for the 2010 season it comes as no surprise to hear Nicolas Roche declare that he itching to take that all important final step towards securing a big race win.

Roche has now emerged as one of the most consistent finishers in the peloton and few would now underestimate his instinct for spotting the right move or his persistent aggression in chasing the win that somehow continues to elude him.

His results so far this season are nothing short of a statement of intent with four top ten finishes at Paris Nice and also at the Tour of Catalunya which followed his achievement in opening his 2010 account with third place at the GP dell Insubria-Lugano.

As he reflects on his early season Roche is not shy in confessing that fluctuating between the fine lines of winning and losing has been the cause of personal frustration, even though he has now cracked what he believes is the all important race winning formula.

“It has been a source of frustration. Definitely. I would swap all of my top tens for a victory. Since the Vuelta (2008) I have shown that I can get top tens in big races but right now I have to be able to try and convert those performances and win,” he said.

Roche has spent the past fortnight at his home in Varese in Italy recharging the batteries and recovering in order to sustain the form which has made him such a formidable force this season. He has also used that time to assess his performances and to refocus his ambition.

“I peaked for Paris Nice and Cataluyna and after that I just needed to relax and sit on the couch at home watching DVDs. It took a lot out of me. Those races were really, really hard, not just physically but mentally.

“Paris Nice with the crosswinds meant that you had to stay focused, as a group could go at any time. There was a lot of stress fighting for positions to stay on the front. It was the same at Catalunya where there was no tough mountain finishes but a lot of ascents on which the GC was fought.”

Roche attributes his impressive start to 2010 to his decision to maintain his race weight through the winter and to achieving a greater balance between training hard and resting in preparation for target races.

“In previous years it took me until April or March to lose the weight that I had gained over the winter. What made me change was looking at pictures from the start of last year’s Paris Nice. It was like I had a beer belly. I looked more like a cycling tourist with strong legs than a pro,” he quipped.

“68 to 70 kilos is ideal race weight for me. Last year I was doing longer rides and training harder to loose weight. Now I can concentrate more on training to achieve results. Training is more calculated with planned rest days and that helps to arrive at a race in better condition, not just physically but mentally, and as a rider you are stronger all round for that.”

While he has found the right balance to both his diet and training Roche explains that he is now focusing strongly on his finishing and on how best to maximise his renewed strength and energy.

“On the tactical side of things I have been racing well but in the last kilometers I have either gone that bit too early or that bit too late which has meant finishing third or fourth, eighth, or even eleventh.

“I know that it’s not experience. I have six years now so the experience is there. I would say that it is just a question of feeling it (the race) more and trying to read it better. If it was just a question of experience I would have won ten times already when you look at how many times I competed for victory.

“I know it is just a question of simply thinking better. Concentrating, not panicking and maybe also trying to take a step back and saying if someone attacks here I am not going to go I’m going to go second, or being able to chance it from my place in the breakaway group. I have to take that step mentally.”

Roche is taking those lessons to the Ardennes Classics this week but draws short of saying whether he expects to have an opportunity to apply them should he find himself in another race winning move.

“I am pretty nervous about the Ardennes to be honest. If you want to speak about how I’ve maintained my form or refocused on my finishing I will have the answer to that question by the end of next week,” he said.

• Array