by Justin Davis

LIMOGES, France, July 13, 2009 (AFP) – As the son of one of cycling’s greats, Nicolas Roche knows he has plenty to live up to.

And after a tough first nine stages of racing on his Tour de France debut, the France-born Irish national road race champion is not expecting the race to get any easier.

Roche, the son of former Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion Stephen, has spent the past few days in the unexpected position of battling to keep teammate Rinaldo Nocentini in the race’s yellow jersey.

Although putting his French team AG2R in the spotlight, it also put pressure on them to honor their duties of defending the yellow jersey – and over the tough climbing terrain of the Pyrenees.

“It’s been great riding first Tour and having the opportunity straight away to ride for the yellow jersey,” Roche told AFP.

“I wasn’t expecting that to be honest with you. The climb out of Andorra (on the eighth stage) was really brutal. For me, it’s not the best way to start as stage.”

Ahead of the race’s rest day Monday AG2R still have the race lead, and for the time being, race favourites like Lance Armstrong and his Astana teammate Alberto Contador not having to defend the yellow jersey is a blessing.

Spain’s 2007 champion Contador is second overall at 6secs back while Armstrong is a further two seconds behind, and it is only a matter of time before Nocentini hands over the yellow jersey.

“I think Nocentini will have difficulties going through the Alps, and then
(Vladimir) Efimkin will become our GC man, so there will be a lot of work and a lot of pressure,” added Roche.

Before then, there are three stages where Roche should be looking at himself.

Although describing himself as “a slow climber that sprints fast, or a slow sprinter that can climb”, he hopes to be given the chance to join a breakaway that, preferably, finishes on a slight incline.

“Everybody comes to the Tour with the dream of a stage win,” said Roche, who finished runner-up on stage 18 on his Tour of Spain debut last year.

“I decided this year I just wanted to do a good prologue, a good team time trial and then get up there in the sprints, just for my personal progression because I’m not a sprinter but I just love being in there.

“Now these few days are gone it’s going to be a bit more open for breakaways and I’d love to get in one of those breakaways.

“I’m in no man’s land at the moment. I’m not really a climber but when I go good I can climb and when I’m going alright I can sprint as well.

“I’ve had a couple of top five’s in bunch sprints with riders like (Alejandro) Valverde. When it’s a harder finish I’m usually there.”

A respected up-and-coming talent in his own right, Roche admits that it’s sometimes hard to live in the shadow of father Stephen, who famously won the Tour, the Giro and the world championships in 1987.

“It’s true I get a lot more media interest than if I was called any other name,” said the 25-year-old.

“But on the other hand I get extra pressure as well because he has succeeded in many of the biggest races. Sometimes it’s hard for people to understand that it’s not wrong if I don’t win the Tour de France as a 25 or 26 year old.”

File Photo by: CorVos Pro