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 was soon 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. In 2011, he won his first UCI World Tour race in the Tour of Beijing.
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.