Richie Porte Discussion Thread.

[The Barb]

I hope Porte can make the podium but it will be hard even if he maintains his form.

Sitting 7th currently ... I expect him pass Bardet in the time trial, if not today; there are clear signs of Yates struggling so the 1:42 that separates them can be overcome; he trails Valverde by 1:10, which is not easy but manageable).

However, that still leave him needing to get past at least one of Froome (not going to happen) Mollema (trails by 2:40 which is likely too much given how good Mollema is at measuring his efforts) or Quintana (trails by 1:38, not inconceivable but Quintana expected to get stronger).

I find him an easy rider to dislike but I have to think he deserves a GT podium.

 

[claude cat]

What clear signs of Yates struggling? I'm yet to see too many.
I expect him to fall back a little, perhaps even as early as tonight, but he's been far from looking weak, which surprises me.

 

[The Barb]

Re:

What clear signs of Yates struggling? I'm yet to see too many.
I expect him to fall back a little, perhaps even as early as tonight, but he's been far from looking weak, which surprises me.

Well, he lost contact near the top of the final climb in Stage 15, which wasn't being ridden terribly aggressively. That's not a good sign and wouldn't have happened a week ago.

 

[claude cat]

Re: Re:

What clear signs of Yates struggling? I'm yet to see too many.
I expect him to fall back a little, perhaps even as early as tonight, but he's been far from looking weak, which surprises me.

Well, he lost contact near the top of the final climb in Stage 15, which wasn't being ridden terribly aggressively. That's not a good sign and wouldn't have happened a week ago.

Didn't appear that way to me - yes at the back of the GC group at some points, but never lost contact, and actually looked stronger later. I guess we can differ on opinion.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

What clear signs of Yates struggling? I'm yet to see too many.
I expect him to fall back a little, perhaps even as early as tonight, but he's been far from looking weak, which surprises me.

Well, he lost contact near the top of the final climb in Stage 15, which wasn't being ridden terribly aggressively. That's not a good sign and wouldn't have happened a week ago.

Didn't appear that way to me - yes at the back of the GC group at some points, but never lost contact, and actually looked stronger later. I guess we can differ on opinion.

Yates admitted after the stage that he found it very hard and he was close to being dropped. He has done very well but I think the next few days will really test Yates. Not saying it's impossible for him to hang on but I think he will struggle and he won't be the only one.

 

[claude cat]

Re: Re:

What clear signs of Yates struggling? I'm yet to see too many.
I expect him to fall back a little, perhaps even as early as tonight, but he's been far from looking weak, which surprises me.

Well, he lost contact near the top of the final climb in Stage 15, which wasn't being ridden terribly aggressively. That's not a good sign and wouldn't have happened a week ago.

Didn't appear that way to me - yes at the back of the GC group at some points, but never lost contact, and actually looked stronger later. I guess we can differ on opinion.

Yates admitted after the stage that he found it very hard and he was close to being dropped. He has done very well but I think the next few days will really test Yates. Not saying it's impossible for him to hang on but I think he will struggle and he won't be the only one.

I certainly agree with that. BTW Porte said he was on the limit as well (and if I recall correctly, a few others GC riders had the same comment).

 

[DBotero]

Great day for Porte but he should have attacked earlier.Now let's see if he can do something about that TT,he still has a lot of time to make.

 

[Cookster15]

Great day for Porte but he should have attacked earlier.Now let's see if he can do something about that TT,he still has a lot of time to make.

I think he will be fine. We are now well into the 3rd week and today he showed he is recovering and should ride a strong MTT tomorrow based upon the strength he showed today. He is now one of the two best climbers in the race and I must admit while I was a doubter I am liking what I am seeing.

 

[SeriousSam]

Yates came back strongly in the end. He didn't gain that much. He needs a really strong MTT performance

 

[movingtarget]

Great day for Porte but he should have attacked earlier.Now let's see if he can do something about that TT,he still has a lot of time to make.

I don't think he could. He was getting tired on the line and Yates and Bardet were coming back. But good signs all the same for the remaining days.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Yates came back strongly in the end. He didn't gain that much. He needs a really strong MTT performance

Yates has been amazing. Did not see him as being anywhere near the podium.

 

[Pippo_San]

We could finally see Lil Richie get a GT podium. Fat chance maybe...who knows...would be awesome tho!

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

Yates came back strongly in the end. He didn't gain that much. He needs a really strong MTT performance

Yates has been amazing. Did not see him as being anywhere near the podium.

Could still end up Froome, Yates, Porte podium. Long way to go but not out of the question after today. Quintana looked terrible he just doesn't have it why I don't know. Mollema lost 40 secs, Aru lost 19 seconds. Bardet 11 seconds. Not much but it does show they are weakening - especially after the rest day. The MTT could be very damaging to them.

But the lingering doubt might still be Astana / Aru. Was Nibali saving himself today for a big attack on Mont Blanc? Might be irrelevant if Aru leaks more time tomorrow.

 

[yaco]

Porte in Dauphine and TDF is the only rider who can follow Froome's wheel when he has attacked.

 

[IndianCyclist]

No BMC's only leader which should have been from the start considering TJVG's performance in TDS

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Yates came back strongly in the end. He didn't gain that much. He needs a really strong MTT performance

Yates has been amazing. Did not see him as being anywhere near the podium.

Could still end up Froome, Yates, Porte podium. Long way to go but not out of the question after today. Quintana looked terrible he just doesn't have it why I don't know. Mollema lost 40 secs, Aru lost 19 seconds. Bardet 11 seconds. Not much but it does show they are weakening - especially after the rest day. The MTT could be very damaging to them.

But the lingering doubt might still be Astana / Aru. Was Nibali saving himself today for a big attack on Mont Blanc? Might be irrelevant if Aru leaks more time tomorrow.

Why? He failed again today despite his team.

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

Yates came back strongly in the end. He didn't gain that much. He needs a really strong MTT performance

Yates has been amazing. Did not see him as being anywhere near the podium.

Could still end up Froome, Yates, Porte podium. Long way to go but not out of the question after today. Quintana looked terrible he just doesn't have it why I don't know. Mollema lost 40 secs, Aru lost 19 seconds. Bardet 11 seconds. Not much but it does show they are weakening - especially after the rest day. The MTT could be very damaging to them.

But the lingering doubt might still be Astana / Aru. Was Nibali saving himself today for a big attack on Mont Blanc? Might be irrelevant if Aru leaks more time tomorrow.

Why? He failed again today despite his team.

I agree. But I just don't trust Astana. Will be happy to see Aru lose 30-40secs in the MTT. Then I can relax.

 

[Billie]

After tomorrow Porte being a better climber than Froome will be accepted opinion

 

[kenk09]

He's as good a climber as there is in the world. We've known that for a few years though. It's just that 3 week thing that's got him down before.

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

Blame game is here ... poor little thing was sore after his crash lol

To be honest he has a perfectly good excuse for being sore. He face planted after hitting a moto then had 2 other riders land on top of him. That just 24 hours before a tough, power TT.

Legit excuse or not, winners always find a way to win, losers always find a way to lose :

Denying the existence of luck and pretending everyone has control over their destiny is a very immature view. Porte has had undeniable bad luck. To attribute that to some underlying character trait is asinine.

Yes, bad luck is bad luck but again, riding smart and avoiding bad situations is part of the rider's winning skills. Also, how you handle those situations separates the winners from losers.

If you are a "leader" and you don't have teammates around to help you when in need, means that you are not a leader because a true leader would make sure to always have someone near.

Same for bad positioning and crashes related to that is a sign of poor leadership or even poor bike handling skills.

Either you have it or you don't. Seems like he is capable of managing shorter races but he does not have the mental and physical strength to keep it together for 3 weeks.

Your absence from this thread is noted. Richie is beginning to confound his doubters - still looking good. I had my doubts but its now deep into the 3rd week and he still has the strength to attack and drop all his GC rivals except Froome. Based upon today's efforts Porte should ride a strong MTT. Mea culpa? What happened to your boy?

 

[DanielSong39]

I'm happy that Richie is carrying the banner for BMC - too bad Tejay is fading.

A good MTT should give him a decent shot at a podium. Maybe even a runner-up finish?

 

[LoloKoko]

Re:

I'm happy that Richie is carrying the banner for BMC - too bad Tejay is fading.

A good MTT should give him a decent shot at a podium. Maybe even a runner-up finish?

I would love to see Richie on the podium, he has earned it coming back from his mechanical in Stage 2 and from his difficulties in the TT ( couldn't hear his team manager on earpiece, had to guess at the times). He's the real deal.

 

[movingtarget]

Oh yes the silence is deafening. I hear that humble pie is selling fast ! I hope he does make the podium and he is definitely finishing the race better than anyone except Froome. Whether Yates and Mollema can hang on will be the big question. Aru and Quintana I don't expect any reversals with them now. I think they could both lose more time. Bardet has also ridden a very good race and there is no doubt now that he is the French hope for the future.

 

[sienna]

Re:

Oh yes the silence is deafening. I hear that humble pie is selling fast ! I hope he does make the podium and he is definitely finishing the race better than anyone except Froome. Whether Yates and Mollema can hang on will be the big question. Aru and Quintana I don't expect any reversals with them now. I think they could both lose more time. Bardet has also ridden a very good race and there is no doubt now that he is the French hope for the future.

Hopefully he can podium - it seems he may be the best of the rest.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Richie looked like a true GT team leader last night. Even under the extra pressure due to Teejay having well and truly cracked, he produced the goods. Should already be sitting in a podium spot if not for bad luck.

He still has two very difficult days to survive yet though. Just hope that if he has a bad day, it's a two minute loss and not twenty. A top ten finish will mean a lot to Porte, even if he and his fans are hoping for top five, and why not top three? The ITT is a good opportunity to take 30-60 seconds on his rivals.