Inside the Peloton : My Life as a Professional Cyclist

Nicolas Roche has a famous surname to all fans of cycling. The son of legendary Irish and World Champion Stephen Roche, Nicolas had to fight to make it as a professional and even harder to make his mark as his own man on this toughest of competitive sports. His rise up the ranks has been meteoric, with top 15 finishes in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in 2010, but his attitude to his chosen profession has remained undimmed. Honest, eloquent and passionate about how the cycling world should be, Nicolas has gained acclaim and a devoted fan following for his Tour diaries serialised in the Irish Independent. Now a major contender for a podium finish in a grand tour, Nicolas is ready to expand on those diaries and to tell in full the story of life in the peloton and of the remarkable events that have brought him this far. From furious spats with teammates and exhilarating races against the world's best, this is a gripping cycling adventure and sportsman's tale.

Nicolas Roche was born in 1984 and became a professional cyclist in 2004 with the Cofidis team. After two years with Credit Agricole, he joined AG2R-La Mondiale in 2009 and is now the team leader. The Irish national champion in 2009, Roche came an impressive 23rd overall in his debut Tour de France, with second and fourth placed stage finishes, and improved on that yet further in 2010, ending 15th in the General Classification of the Tour de France and 7th in the Vuelta a Espana. The son of Stephen Roche, winner of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and World Championship in 1987, Nicolas has become one of the top names in world cycling.