Deignan and Roche eye up Beijing and Lombardy wins

Posted 03 October 2011

Philip Deignan and Nicolas Roche will look to close out their 2011 season on a high note at this week's Tour of Beijing before returning to Italy for a crack at the Tour of Lombardy season curtain closer

Roche’s AG2R La Mondiale team have sent a strong team to China with the 27 year old among the favourites for the five day race which starts on Wednesday with a 11.3 kilometre individual time trial.

The opening road stage is well suited to an attacking rider like Roche but he will require his team to control the race on the final four laps of the 21 kilometre finishing circuit which includes a third category climb before the finish in Men Tau Gou.

Deignan showed a marked return to form at last month’s Tour of Utah, US Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado and Grand Prix Quebec and the Donegal man has his best hope of recording a win in Friday’s mountain stage.

The 162 kilometre stage from Menn Tau Gou starts with a category two climb before tackling three category climbs en route to the finish in Yong Ning.

The penultimate stage is the longest in the race at 189.5 kilometres from Yanquin Gui Chuan Square to the Shunyi Olmpic Rowin/Canoeing Centre. The long flat run into the finish will give the riders plenty of time to regroup after three categorised climbs.

The race draws to a close on Sunday with 118 kilometre stage from Tian an Men Square to the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium.

Roche’s AG2R La Mondiale team includes sprinters Lloyd Mondory and Sebastien Hinault, climbers Jean-Christophe Peraud and Christophe Riblon and all-rounders Julien Berard, Mikael Cherel and Blel Kadri.

Deignan’s Radioshack team includes GC contenders Jani Brajkovic and Tiago Machado with strong support from Markel Irizar, Ben King, Dmitriy Muravyev, Nelson Oliveria and Haimar Zubeldia.

Deignan and Roche will return to Europe immediately after the race to prepare for the Tour of Lombardy which takes place on Sunday, October 15.

They will join an in-form Dan Martin (Garmin Cervelo) who will be a marked man in the one-day classic having finished third in Saturday’s Memorial Pantani.

Deignan told Irish Pro Cycling last month that the Tour of Lombardy will be his last race in the Team Radioshack colours before moving onto the US based Unitedhealthcare team for the 2012 season.