Nicolas Roche has joined Team Sky to enforce both their Grand Tour and Ardennes Classics squads. He talked to the team’s website about his 2014 goals.

"My first impressions have been good and I’m really happy to be here. It’s been an easy transition because I know almost every rider and have a good relationship with them – which can be rare in the peloton given that we’ve ridden as rivals up to now. I’ve ridden on teams with a lot of the guys before, Philip (Deignan), CJ (Sutton), Gabba (Rasch), Brad (Wiggins) etc.”

Roche says he has been training since November and is desperate to start racing for his new team.

“I took it easy after the Worlds and spent some time in Japan after the Saitama Criterium which I enjoyed. I started training again at the start of November and built from there. Now I’m just looking forward to the racing.”

Roche was asked abut his role within the team, where he said he would ride in the Ardennes, and he still, harbours hopes of leading at the Vuelta a Espana, where he points out how well he has ridden at the Spanish Grand Tour.

“The Vuelta is the perfect race for me. I’ve finished fifth, sixth, and just outside the top 10 on a few occasions. I’d like to progress in one-day races, particularly the Ardennes classics, because with the training paths I’ve taken up to now, they’ve always come too early in the season. I’ve been there or thereabouts a few times but that cutting edge has been missing. San Sebastian is another race I’d like to do well in. It comes a week after the Tour de France and I’m usually in great condition at that point. I’ve finished top 10 there a few times and if there’s one race I think I could win one day it’d be that as it’s the most suited to me.”