Roach, Stephen

Stephen Roach was born in a suburb of Dublin , he was one of the five children of farmers . His younger brother, Lawrence , also became a professional cyclist, but less successful. In 1979, Stephen participated in the Rás Tailteann Irish race: victories in two stages, including butchering , brought him fame. The following year, the Irishman left for France, where he played for the amateur team Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt . In 1981, Roach signed a professional contract with Peugeot and won the Paris-Nice stage race. After 2 years, he became 3rd at the World Championships and won for the first time on the Tour of Romandia , which he won the following season, playing for La Redoute . In 1985, the Irish won the stage at the Tour de France and climbed the podium in Paris . But in November, Roach suffered a knee injury on a cycle track , and the following year, on the Carrera team, was crumpled.

1987 began successfully for Stephen: he excelled for the record third time in the Tour of Romandia, won the Vuelta of Valencia , and also showed good results in other races. The captain of his team at the Giro d'Italia was Roberto Vicentini , who defended last year's title. However, Roach considered his form more suitable for the struggle for a common victory, and, to the displeasure of the team, joined in it. The Irishman and the Italian alternately grabbed a pink T-shirt , with Roach undergoing severe obstruction. The press and local fans turned against him, even his team organized a chase after Roach’s detachments ^[1] . Active assistance in the race to the rejected Irishman from his team was provided only by the Belgian Eddie Sheppers , as well as the Panasonic racers, which only increased the criticism of the Carrera. As a result, Vicentini, already psychologically losing and falling out of the top three, did not go to the start of cutting the last stage, which Roach won, and so was the leader in the overall standings.

The 1987 Tour de France was without the race leaders of previous years: Bernard Eno retired, and Greg Lemond managed to get serious gunshot wounds on the hunt. Among the riders who wanted to take advantage of the situation was the recent triumphant Jiro Stephen Roach. At the start of the Tour, which began in Berlin , there was a record number of participants, 207, and the race itself was replete with heavy mountain stages. Also there were 4 cuts suitable Roach. He won the butchering at the 10th stage, and ahead of the main rivals at the 18th cutting in Mont Venta . The winner of this stage, Jean-Francois Bernard put on a yellow shirt , but because of bad luck on the 19th he gave it to Roach. The mountain 20th stage was crowned by the rise of the Alp d'Huez , and the Irishman gave the leader's shirt to the miner Pedro Delgado , hoping to return it in the butchery of the penultimate stage. The 21st stage was the culmination of a multi-day. Roach attacked, but Delgado with the help of the team caught up and threw off the tired Roach, winning one and a half minutes for 5 kilometers to the finish line. However, Stephen, at the cost of incredible efforts, finished directly behind the Spaniard, after which he was brought to life by oxygen . At the next, again mountainous stage, the Irishman played a few seconds, which discouraged Delgado. Roach beat the opponent in the butchering and drove into the Champs Elysees with a triumphant. On the catwalk, Stephen was met by Irish Prime Minister Charles Hogey , and in Dublin - a parade. Roach is the only Irishman to win the most prestigious cycling race.

The leader of the Irish national team at the 1987 World Cup was Sean Kelly , but he did not manage to join the decisive gap, in which Roach rode the "cop". While the sprinters Theun van Vliet and Rolf Gölz guarded each other on the last kilometer, Stephen spurred and took the “gold” ^[1] . He became just the second driver to win one year at two Grand Tours and the World Cup. This success was ensured by Roach Super-Prestige Pernod (prize for the first number of the rating according to the results of the year) and Golden Bicycle ^[2] .

After 1987, Roach did not achieve comparable success, changing teams every 1-2 years. In 1989-1990 he won the Tour of the Basque Country and Four Days of Dunkirk , but a knee injury made itself felt more and more. In 1992, the Irishman won his fifth and final stage in a super-race ( Tour de France ). After the 1993 season, when he entered the top ten Giro , Roach regretfully ended his career. Later he continued to live in France and Ireland. In 2004, Roach divorced his French wife, who bore him four children. One of them, Nicholas , followed in his father's footsteps - he chose the career of a cyclist and became the champion of Ireland, as did Stephen's nephew Daniel Martin . Roach owns a hotel in the French Riviera , he founded a bicycle camp in Mallorca , takes part in organizing several races, and comments on bicycle races at Eurosport ^{[3] [4]} .

1980

• Youth Paris - Roubaix

1981

• Paris - Nice

1983

• Grand Prix of Walloni
• Tour of Romandia
• Paris - Bourges
•   World Championship Bronze Medal

1984

• Tour of Romandia

1985

• Criterium Internacional
• 3rd overall and victory at the 18th A stage of the Tour de France

1987 Prizes Super-Prestige Pernod and Mendrisio d'Or

•   Tour de France , victory in the 10th stage and 2nd in the sprint standings
•   Giro d'Italia , victories in stages 3 and 22
•   World Championship
• Tour of Romandia
• Vuelta Valencia
• 2nd on Tour of Ireland

1989

• Basque Country Tour

1990

• Four days of Dunkirk

1991

• Setman Catalan de Cyclisma
• Criterium Internacional

1992

• Victory at the 16th stage of the Tour de France

• Profile on cyclingarchives.com
• Stephen Roche on velorama.ru
• Great Irish Roche and Kelly: Stephen Roche on velolive.com