Stephen Roche

Stephen Roche

Roche at the 1993 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Stephen Roche
Born	(1959-11-28) 28 November 1959 (age 64) Dundrum, County Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	74 kg (163 lb; 11 st 9 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Amateur teams
1974–1979	Orwell Wheelers
1980	A.C.B.B.
Professional teams
1981–1983	Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1984–1985	La Redoute
1986–1987	Carrera–Inoxpran
1988–1989	Fagor–MBK
1990	Histor–Sigma
1991	Tonton Tapis–GB
1992–1993	Carrera Jeans–Vagabond
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France General classification (1987) 3 individual stages (1985, 1987, 1992) 1 TTT stage (1987) Giro d'Italia General classification (1987) Combination classification (1987) 2 individual stages (1987) 1 TTT stage (1987) Stage races Paris–Nice (1981) Tour de Romandie (1983, 1984, 1987) Tour of the Basque Country (1989) Critérium International (1985, 1991) One-day races and Classics World Road Race Championships (1987) Other Super Prestige Pernod International (1987)
Medal record Representing  Ireland Men's road bicycle racing World Championships 1987 Villach Elite Men's Road Race 1983 Altenrhein Elite Men's Road Race

Stephen Roche (/ˈroʊtʃ/; born 28 November 1959) is an Irish former professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming the second of only two cyclists to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia general classification, plus the World road race championship, the first being Eddy Merckx. Roche's rise coincided with that of fellow Irishman Sean Kelly.

Although one of the finest cyclists of his generation and admired for his pedalling style, he struggled with knee injuries and never contended in the Grand Tours post-1987. He had 58 professional career wins. All of these wins still stand, despite Roche having been accused by an Italian judge of taking EPO in the later part of his career.