Nicolas Roche has been using the Tour of Britain to build up form for the World Championships Road Race, which takes place exactly two weeks after the British event ends.

Ireland has three riders and for the first time in three years, all three of those riders race on WorldTour teams.

“I think we have a decent team,” said Roche. “Philip Deignan has been doing a decent job in the Vuelta with Froome. Dan Martin is there and fighting for GC and he’s in great shape. I think I’m in great shape and this race is definitely going to help me pick it up for the Worlds, because I was lacking a bit of racing. I think we are going to be competitive.”

Ireland does not have a medal in a World Championship event since Sean Kelly won road race bronze in 1989 and the course is only really suited to Dan Martin, and he is not a favourite amongst men like Boonen, Sagan, Degenkolb and Gilbert. But if the ace is high, men like Martin, Valverde and Rodriguez may get to fight it out for the Rainbow Jersey.

“There are only three of us, so it is difficult because a lot of teams can ride against us,” he explained. “Every year we play it that we have our chance and we obviously have to ride together, but I don’t think that there is a particularly protected rider. We have to use the other teams.”