Inside The Peloton: My Life as a Professional Cyclist - Softcover

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Nicolas Roche was born in 1984 and became a professional cyclist in 2004 with the Cofidis team. After two years with Crédit 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 España.

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.

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Professional cycling is a tough enough sport without the burden of a famous name. There are long, painful days in the saddle, one hotel room after another, the strictest of diets and the constant need to rest and recover. Yet from the moment he threw his leg across a bike, as a 12-year-old, Nicolas Roche would have to emulate a legend. In 1987, his father Stephen Roche won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour De France and the World Championship, all in the same season.

Based on his acclaimed diaries of life as a professional cyclist, Inside the Peloton is a unique, at times painfully honest account of what it takes to make the grade, and the incredible sacrifices and effort required to climb further up the ranks. From his early races in Ireland and France to becoming leader of the Ag2R La Mondiale team and competing at the highest level in the Grand Tours, Nicolas Roche tells a thrilling tale of life on the road.

'Nicolas' diaries tugged us so deep into Le Tour this year, it read like a redemption song... This is how sport should be, because it isn't some grand multiplex. It can't be something that just comes on for our convenience like a fridge light. Real sport makes the skin tingle because, at its best, it flies an ungovernable path.'

Vincent Hogan