Roche wins Tour de France

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 40

Roche wins Tour de France

NZPA-Reuter Paris The Irish Government has planned a State reception for the Dubliner, Stephen Roche, who rode to triumph and into the record books on Sunday at the end of the 3912 km Tour de France cycling race.

First to greet Roche as he climbed on to the winner’s podium was the Irish Prime . Minister, Charles Haughey, who flew in specially to welcome the country’s latest hero with a warm embrace.

Mr Haughey then

watched as the French Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac, congratulated Roche in the traditional winner’s ceremony. Roche, who has spent most of the last seven years living in France, will be guest of honour at the Dublin reception and plans are being made for a victory parade. Roche, aged 27, entered the record books on three counts when he won the seventy-fourth Tour de France. He is the first rider from the British Isles to win the race, and only the fifth man to complete the

double of taking the Tour de France and Giro d’ltalia in the same year. In the last decade, only the cycling greats, Bernard Hinault, of France, and the Belgian, Eddy Merckx, have scooped the double win. Roche’s winning margin of 40 seconds was the narrowest since 1968 and only two seconds outside the smallest in the Tour’s history. He won the marathon race, which began in West Germany on July 1, after seizing the lead in a critical time trial on Saturday from his main rival,

Pedro Delgado, of Spain. Delgado, who held the over-all lead for five days in the final week, finished second over all. France’s main hope, Jean-Francois Bernard, was third, 2min 13sec behind. To add to the Englishspeaking triumph in the French classic — won last year by the American rider, Greg Lemond — the American, Jeff Pierce, won the final stage after a sprint through central Paris. A jubilant Roche said: “This hasn’t sunk in yet Perhaps later I will be able to look at it all

and say ‘damn, that was really something’.” Among the thousands jamming the Champs Elysees were hundreds of Roche’s Irish supporters, who had flown over for the day, cheering and waving flags. With tears in his eyes, Roche said:. “It is very touching to see so many Irish people here. I felt so emotional when I met Mr Haughey and heard our national anthem.” Roche crossed the finish in the middle of the main field with his hands held high, seconds after Pierce had won the stage.