The former championship cyclist, Stephen Roche, is selling his Dublin home, a modern six-bedroom house on an acre of ground at Rathmichael, Co Dublin. Mr Roche, who won the Tour de France in 1987 and who now runs a cycle tours operation in Palma, Majorca, intends to move to France with his Parisian wife, Lydia, and their three children. They have bought a large hillside property overlooking Antibes, in the south of France. Their Dublin home, Belleview, on Heronford Lane, off Ballycorus Road, Rathmichael, will be auctioned by Orchard Estate Agents on April 22nd. It is likely to make in excess of £500,000.
The Roches bought the Rathmichael property just three years ago intending to settle permanently in Ireland.
The two-storey, ranch-style house stands on an elevated site with views down to the Wicklow coast. Although it was virtually new, they spent over a year extending and upgrading the accommodation and landscaping the grounds.
Heronford Lane is a narrow road that rises steeply from the Ballycorus Road and Hillview is approached via a lane-way shared with a neighbouring house. Electronically-controlled gates open into a huge cobble-lock drive that has parking for several cars.
The integrated 40 ft long garage is currently used as a workshop where Mr Roche's own brand sports bicycles are assembled. However, it is such a large space new owners could easily incorporate part of it into the house. The rest of the ground floor is laid out as a self-contained guest suite with two bedrooms - one currently used as an office - a sunny sitting room with sliding doors to a patio, a fully fitted kitchen and a big, luxuriously fitted bathroom. Vivid colours used in each of the rooms give this part of the house a distinctly Mediterranean feel.
A winding staircase leads up to the main floor, opening directly into a big, open-plan living room. This is a tremendously bright space, with picture windows looking towards the sea on two sides. It is partially divided from the kitchen and dining area by a wall with fireplaces on each side.
The kitchen has high quality white lacquered units and granite work tops. An island unit divides it from the dining area, which has patio doors opening on to a terrace.
Off the kitchen is a fully fitted utility room that is larger than most kitchens. It has access to a wide, pebbled terrace behind the house. A wall divides this outdoor area from a second patio. It also leads on to a timber deck.
A wide corridor from the hall leads to the four bedrooms, all of which have timber floors and high-spec built-in wardrobes. The main bedroom has an en suite shower room and there is a large family bathroom and guest lavatory.
Mr Roche, who notched up more than 50 international cycling victories, including the World Championship, in his 12-year career as a professional cyclist, now runs a successful cycling tours company in Palma that caters to the American and European executive market. He also merchandises a range of cycling equipment under his name.
