Nicolas Roche has been appointed as Director Sportif for the Cycling Ireland Senior Road Program.
Roche, a four-time Ireland Olympian who ended an illustrious pro career last October, has taken on a role that will include preparation of athletes and attendance at the European Championships in August and the UCI Road World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Wollongong, Australia in September.
He will also provide mentorship for Junior and under-23 Teams.
“This is a very significant move for Cycling Ireland and will help to ensure world-class preparation for upcoming major events including the European and World Championships," said Liam Collins, the recently-elected president of Cycling Ireland.
"We are delighted that Nicolas Roche shares our ambition and vision and recognizes the potential we have.
"We very much look forward to working with him and developing the road program as we target Paris 2024.
"His competitive experience is at the highest level with a career spanning 17 years, spent at the very top of the sport.
"He has clocked up 1,270 days of competition, including a hugely impressive 24 starts and 22 finishes in cycling’s three Grand Tours. He had 64 top-10 Grand Tour stage finishes, including three stage victories at the Vuelta a España."
Roche, a three-time national champion, is looking forward to his new role.
“Having recently retired from professional cycling I am delighted to be asked by Cycling Ireland to become part of the organisation in this manner," he said.
"I am very taken by the ambition and vision for cycling in Ireland and I really look forward to working with athletes and staff in preparation for upcoming international events.
"I benefited from support and guidance throughout my career, and I am looking forward to giving back to junior and U23 riders and hopefully helping to develop a pipeline of Irish talent.
Matt McKerrow, CEO of Cycling Ireland, commented: “As a modern governing body, it is only right to engage retired athletes in this way and assist in their career transitions – we’re really pleased to have Nicholas supporting the current crop – the likes of Sam Bennett; while at the same time continuing to inspire a younger generation of future cyclists.
”We have a number of further roles to fill in our high performance team and it’s very much our aspiration they will all bring the level of experience, knowledge and passion to the organisation that Nico does."
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