The Irish rider Nicolas Roche left the Saxo-Tinkoff to join the British team, Team Sky. Under orders from Bjarne Riis, he won this season the Route du Sud. He also finished fifth in the Tour of Spain in 2013. But for his father, it was the right time to switch teams.

"I think it's a brilliant move for Nicolas as he was at a crossroads in his career," Roche told Cyclingnews. "He went to Tinkoff hoping to get a lot from working with Bjarne Riis and he certainly managed that, but I think the change in the structure of that team didn't suit Nicolas at all." 

"I think the move to Sky is definitely a step up and that the camaraderie at Sky will suit him, as will the fact that he knows Richie Porte and Chris Froome very, very well as all of them live in Monaco. Nicolas is not a selfish rider, he's a team man both on and off the bike, and I'm sure he will fit in extremely well at Sky", he concluded.