Richie Porte is entering his final year as a professional cyclist. Australia’s 36-year-old Ineos Grenadier wants to light up again at the Giro d’Italia and Tirreno-Adriatico, but is ignoring the Tour de France. “I did my own thing there,” he says in a conversation with him. 7NEWS I know.
Porte finished third in the 2020 Tour de France behind Slovenes Tadej Pojacar and Primoz Roglic. He has previously commented that he rode his last Tour in 2021 and is sticking with that. The Australian was on the podium there and focused on other goals in his final season. At the Tirreno Adriatic, he wants to punch his way to victory, adding an impressive list of wins in rounds of the week to his palms. It was previously the best in Paris – Nice (2013, 2015), the Tour de Romandie (2017), the Tour de Suisse (2018) and the Critérium du Dauphiné (2021).
Tirreno-Adriatico is on the program two months before the Giro d’Italia, as Porti wants to ride his last big ride. It would mean a happy ending for the Australian, who rode his first Grand Tour there in 2010 and immediately finished seventh in the general classification. He also became the youth jersey winner, by keeping Pukki Mollema (third) and Stephen Kreuzvik (fourth) behind, among others. “All the team wants is for me to enjoy my last year. That’s my plan too. It’s been a great career, but we have another year ahead. I still want to be competitive otherwise it would be a waste of time for us as a family. If I can complete the circuit in the Giro d’ Italia, it would be a dream come true. It’s a game I’ve always enjoyed.”
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