Stephen Roche had a year in 1987 that has been matched by only one rider ever – Eddy Merckx. He won the Triple Crown, winning both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia and also won the rainbow jersey as world road race champion. Roche’s Tour de France win was the stuff of high drama. In second entering the Alps, with Pedro Delgado close in 3rd, Roche fell off the pace as Delgado attacked up the Villard de Lans. Delgado took over the race, and was the leader on the road, as he opened up a huge margin. But Roche countered and closed to within four seconds of Delgado at the finish. It was an almost superhuman effort which earned him the yellow jersey but also put him in the hospital overnight, requiring oxygen for recovery. However, he recovered enough to race the next day and keep the yellow jersey into Paris. Roche’s career was hampered by knee problems both before 1987 and in the ensuing years. His other major victories included the 1981 Paris-Nice race, the Tour of Romandie in 1983-84, 1987; the 1989 Vuelta al País Vasco, and Four Days of Dunkirk in 1990. Roche retired after the 1993 season, and later owned the Roche Marina Hotel in Antibes on the Cote d’Azur.
Ireland