Roche up to seventh overall as solid form continues

CYCLING: IRELAND'S NICOLAS Roche yesterday moved up a place in the overall standings in the Vuelta a Espana, riding well on the steep climb up to Jaca and underlining the solid form he has shown since the start of the race.

The Ag2r La Mondiale rider sprinted up the four kilometre hair-pinned ramp, remaining with the front runners when other general classification contenders such as last year’s race winner Juan Jose Cobo (Movistar) and the Rabobak duo Robert Gesink and Bauke Mollema got into difficulty.

The group finally blew apart on the final push to the line, with Roche coming in 28 seconds behind stage winner Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), placing ninth. The latter continues to lead the general classification, while Roche moves from eighth to seventh overall. He is one minute four seconds off Rodriguez’s red jersey of race leadership.

The race continues today with a rolling 160 kilometre stage to Alcaniz, which will likely end in a bunch sprint. If so, Roche’s next test will come on tomorrow’s mountain stage to Andorra’s Collada de la Gallina climb.

He is riding his final Grand Tour with the Ag2r La Mondiale team and wants to clock up a strong showing prior to moving across to Alberto Contador’s team at the beginning of next season.

Meanwhile, An Post Seán Kelly rider Sam Bennett is continuing to show some strong end-of-season form. Having taken seventh in the European Road Race Championships on August 12th, he was then eighth against some World Tour riders in the 1.1-ranked GP Stad Zottegem on Tuesday. He is aiming to secure a big contract by the end of the season.

Preparations are continuing for next month’s An Post Rás na mBan, which starts in Sneem on September 9th. Large number of overseas riders have confirmed for the event, with over 30 competitors from Britain and others from the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Sweden and Japan.

This year the riders will clash over six stages in five days, clocking up approximately 400 kilometres on the roads around Sneem and further afield.

The closing date for entries is today.

Finally the Irish riders due to compete in the upcoming Paralympic Games are continuing their build-up to the event, transferring to the athlete’s village in London today after a recent training camp in Portugal.

The opening ceremony will take place next Wednesday with racing starting one day later.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Saturday: Ulster RR championships, Ballymoney rugby club, starts 11am. Saturday – Sunday: Youth championships, race HQ St Vincent’s Daughters of Charity Lisnagry.

Sunday: Irish MTB Marathon championships, Ballyhoura, main race starts 11.30; Convoy festival, starts Convoy GAA club at 11am; Connacht RR League, Moylough, 10.30am; Ulster 10-mile TT championships, starts 9am at Ballybogey B62 road.