Richie Porte Discussion Thread.

[movingtarget]

Re:

Caruso and Roche are going to the Vuelta and probably want to share leadership..if they help Richie well I think they will get the nod...keep them sweet before a rider who is leaving ...not to say Sanchez wont get a free role ...but TJ ..can't see it

Dennis should ride the Tour if he is ok....can help Porte and win stages in TT

Telling from Porte's interview that there are riders he doesn't want with him at the Tour ....i can only imagine who he means...

Dennis will probably do the Vuelta. The only reason he was put in the Giro was to support TJVG and see how he went over the the three weeks. The Tour I think will be the wrong race for him and he possibly won't even finish it which is not what Porte wants. Not sure about Roche as team leader at the Vuelta as I thought he was no longer chasing GC and is happy to be the road captain for Porte and a domestique for whoever needs him. I suppose Caruso is a possibility. I have doubts that TJVG will even ride the Vuelta let alone the Tour but he looked okay in the final week of the Giro when the pressure was off. Even his TT was pretty good. I think Porte would prefer a more consistent domestique.

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Re:

Caruso and Roche are going to the Vuelta and probably want to share leadership..if they help Richie well I think they will get the nod...keep them sweet before a rider who is leaving ...not to say Sanchez wont get a free role ...but TJ ..can't see it

Dennis should ride the Tour if he is ok....can help Porte and win stages in TT

Telling from Porte's interview that there are riders he doesn't want with him at the Tour ....i can only imagine who he means...

Dennis will probably do the Vuelta. The only reason he was put in the Giro was to support TJVG and see how he went over the the three weeks. The Tour I think will be the wrong race for him and he possibly won't even finish it which is not what Porte wants. Not sure about Roche as team leader at the Vuelta as I thought he was no longer chasing GC and is happy to be the road captain for Porte and a domestique for whoever needs him. I suppose Caruso is a possibility. I have doubts that TJVG will even ride the Vuelta let alone the Tour but he looked okay in the final week of the Giro when the pressure was off. Even his TT was pretty good. I think Porte would prefer a more consistent domestique.

From TJ interview's, he confirmed that he won't be lining up for the Tour. He will be in Vuelta. I think Porte said Roche, Caruso, Danielo Wys are most likely a sure thing for his Tour team (and Greg)

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Caruso and Roche are going to the Vuelta and probably want to share leadership..if they help Richie well I think they will get the nod...keep them sweet before a rider who is leaving ...not to say Sanchez wont get a free role ...but TJ ..can't see it

Dennis should ride the Tour if he is ok....can help Porte and win stages in TT

Telling from Porte's interview that there are riders he doesn't want with him at the Tour ....i can only imagine who he means...

Dennis will probably do the Vuelta. The only reason he was put in the Giro was to support TJVG and see how he went over the the three weeks. The Tour I think will be the wrong race for him and he possibly won't even finish it which is not what Porte wants. Not sure about Roche as team leader at the Vuelta as I thought he was no longer chasing GC and is happy to be the road captain for Porte and a domestique for whoever needs him. I suppose Caruso is a possibility. I have doubts that TJVG will even ride the Vuelta let alone the Tour but he looked okay in the final week of the Giro when the pressure was off. Even his TT was pretty good. I think Porte would prefer a more consistent domestique.

From TJ interview's, he confirmed that he won't be lining up for the Tour. He will be in Vuelta. I think Porte said Roche, Caruso, Danielo Wys are most likely a sure thing for his Tour team (and Greg)

Well that makes more sense.

 

[StryderHells]

You would think that Amaël Moinard is another that will make the Tour squad. What about riders like Oss and Schar? Could they be in with a chance as riders to protect Porte on the flat.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

You would think that Amaël Moinard is another that will make the Tour squad. What about riders like Oss and Schar? Could they be in with a chance as riders to protect Porte on the flat.

Moinard has to be in the mix and Oss and Schar are both very stong, would not be surprised to see both of them selected.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

You would think that Amaël Moinard is another that will make the Tour squad. What about riders like Oss and Schar? Could they be in with a chance as riders to protect Porte on the flat.

Moinard has to be in the mix and Oss and Schar are both very stong, would not be surprised to see both of them selected.

A few points

After today in the Dauphine and Paris Nice it is so obvious where Porte is most vulnerable..in crosswinds and on the flats...therefore I hope he has GVA, Oss, Schar & Dennis working for him ...and to close possible gaps on the downhill or rolling terrain...Just look how strong SKY were today with Rowe, Stannard & Kwaito....Nothing against Moinard but he is not in that league...if BMC are serious about backing Porte he needs those 4 riders working for him....not sure he will get it though esp with GVA wanting to win stages


Roche has said he is going to the Vuelta to do GC ...was 5th in 2013, lying 3rd in 2015 when he crashed and has not been there other years in between due to illness

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

You would think that Amaël Moinard is another that will make the Tour squad. What about riders like Oss and Schar? Could they be in with a chance as riders to protect Porte on the flat.

Moinard has to be in the mix and Oss and Schar are both very stong, would not be surprised to see both of them selected.

A few points

After today in the Dauphine and Paris Nice it is so obvious where Porte is most vulnerable..in crosswinds and on the flats...therefore I hope he has GVA, Oss, Schar & Dennis working for him ...and to close possible gaps on the downhill or rolling terrain...Just look how strong SKY were today with Rowe, Stannard & Kwaito....Nothing against Moinard but he is not in that league...if BMC are serious about backing Porte he needs those 4 riders working for him....not sure he will get it though esp with GVA wanting to win stages


Roche has said he is going to the Vuelta to do GC ...was 5th in 2013, lying 3rd in 2015 when he crashed and has not been there other years in between due to illness

Not saying Roche couldn't do a decent ride in the Vuelta but I thought he gave up his GC ambitions a few years ago. It seems not. I doubt that Dennis will do the Tour somehow, as for Moinard, he is one of their better climbers and the team isn't a strong one for the mountains but including GVA is like including Gilbert in previous years, they probably have to drop a domestique. Moinard went okay in the the last Tour but Caruso was much better. Evans tended to go for a stronger team on the flat and it paid off for him as none of his climbing domestiques could stay with him later in the stage but they did a great job for him getting him to the mountains and on the early slopes which is all he really wanted. I'd be surprised if Porte didn't go the same way with his team selection as that first week in the Tour is always tricky as Contador has found out for a few years now. The way BMC protected Evans in 2011 was like clockwork especially with the experience of riders like Hincapie, Burghardt and others. Porte still has a strong squad to ride with.

 

[Katabatic]

What a ride.

 

[SeriousSam]

 

[Netserk]

So how fast will he fly up PdBF? 22 km/h should be a good target. Maybe he'll even climb it half a minute faster than Froome did in '12

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

So how fast will he fly up PdBF? 22 km/h should be a good target. Maybe he'll even climb it half a minute faster than Froome did in '12

Hmf, you are underrating Richie. I predict nuclear like Verbier, PSM and Ax-3.

 

[portugal11]

He is the only one who can beat froome in le tour. But I still think he will collapse there

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

He is the only one who can beat froome in le tour. But I still think he will collapse there

I don't think his form will collapse....the issue for him is a mishap or losing time on the flat and cross wind stages...his team need to be stella on the flat stages and on the down hill and ALL riding for him ..that includes the classics guys

 

[movingtarget]

He didn't collapse last year. He punctured at the worst possible time and cost himself a podium when the race was going flat out. He was the second best climber in the race last year and only on the last mountain stage did he look in a bit of trouble when needing to chase after getting held up by a crash. The team has to do better to protect him. The first week always seems to be dangerous for Porte with stupid incidents then again even Contador has had more problems in the Tour than Porte. Porte never had a bad day last year and it was a much improved performance even with the time lost due to the puncture. The fact that Froome is looking a bit shaky so far makes the Tour this year much more open on paper at least.

 

[HelloDolly]

Not only Froome is looking shaky but SKY are not as invincible with Poels coming back from a long lay off with a knee injury and Thomas with an injury from the Giro where he had peak form

Of course SKY have other very good riders but these two have always been the best for Froome at the Tour and closed the gaps for him in the mountains stages,etc

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Not only Froome is looking shaky but SKY are not as invincible with Poels coming back from a long lay off with a knee injury and Thomas with an injury from the Giro where he had peak form

Of course SKY have other very good riders but these two have always been the best for Froome at the Tour and closed the gaps for him in the mountains stages,etc

Yes I think that's why Landa has been included in the Tour when he wanted to aim for the Vuelta instead. Sky could be a bit short in the mountains although Thomas should be okay by then. It's not confirmed but it sounds like Sky want Landa in the Tour and he won't be fresh after the Giro.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re: Re:

He is the only one who can beat froome in le tour. But I still think he will collapse there

I don't think his form will collapse....the issue for him is a mishap or losing time on the flat and cross wind stages...his team need to be stella on the flat stages and on the down hill and ALL riding for him ..that includes the classics guys

I think GVA will get to ride for himself throughout, but it all depends on how good Porte will be. I mean, even when GVA wasn't anywhere near his current alien level he was allowed to ride for himself at the TDF, while Gilbert couldn't even get on the Tour team.

Agreed on Porte's main weaknesses. Though his perhaps extremely low body fat percentage this season could also make a collapse (due to illness) more likely.

 

[Arked]

All he needs to fight for Tour win is a little bit of luck. That's the only thing he's missing.

 

[dirkprovin]

Selection of BMC's Tour team will be pivotal as regards maximising his protection in his areas of greatest vulnerability but I still think more will hinge on what goes on (or what isn't going on) between Porte's ears. Last year's fightback was indeed creditable but I'm still not sure that he's particularly well equipped to handle pressure situations on the biggest stage (rather than 1 weekers) and where HE is the man rather than first lieutenant.

 

[deValtos]

The biggest problem for Portes team could be GVA. Obviously with his amazing form you can't not pick him but he's going to have personal ambitions of his own and that's not ideal. Still though as long as the other 7 riders are for Porte is probably ok.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

The biggest problem for Portes team could be GVA. Obviously with his amazing form you can't not pick him but he's going to have personal ambitions of his own and that's not ideal. Still though as long as the other 7 riders are for Porte is probably ok.

I think GVA could be an asset in any classic type stages. Porte just needs to stay near GVA.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

The biggest problem for Portes team could be GVA. Obviously with his amazing form you can't not pick him but he's going to have personal ambitions of his own and that's not ideal. Still though as long as the other 7 riders are for Porte is probably ok.

I think GVA could be an asset in any classic type stages. Porte just needs to stay near GVA.

Surely its GVA staying with Porte is the issue ...GVA is the golden boy at BMC (and rightly so) and he is not going to the Tour as a Dom I think....when a stage is rolling he will want to attack and win it ...Also its BMC and riders tend to not do the one for all as at SKY nor indeed tow the line...

 

[Jspear]

Re: Re:

The biggest problem for Portes team could be GVA. Obviously with his amazing form you can't not pick him but he's going to have personal ambitions of his own and that's not ideal. Still though as long as the other 7 riders are for Porte is probably ok.

I think GVA could be an asset in any classic type stages. Porte just needs to stay near GVA.

Surely its GVA staying with Porte is the issue ...GVA is the golden boy at BMC (and rightly so) and he is not going to the Tour as a Dom I think....when a stage is rolling he will want to attack and win it ...Also its BMC and riders tend to not do the one for all as at SKY nor indeed tow the line...

Well I think that's okay. But he shouldn't expect to have teammates dedicated to him. Of course he can attack and go for stage wins, but Richie has a decent shot at winning or podiuming the Tour - the team needs to back him. GVA might be their golden boy, but now it's July...not the spring.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

The biggest problem for Portes team could be GVA. Obviously with his amazing form you can't not pick him but he's going to have personal ambitions of his own and that's not ideal. Still though as long as the other 7 riders are for Porte is probably ok.

I think GVA could be an asset in any classic type stages. Porte just needs to stay near GVA.

Surely its GVA staying with Porte is the issue ...GVA is the golden boy at BMC (and rightly so) and he is not going to the Tour as a Dom I think....when a stage is rolling he will want to attack and win it ...Also its BMC and riders tend to not do the one for all as at SKY nor indeed tow the line...

Well I think that's okay. But he shouldn't expect to have teammates dedicated to him. Of course he can attack and go for stage wins, but Richie has a decent shot at winning or podiuming the Tour - the team needs to back him. GVA might be their golden boy, but now it's July...not the spring.

I agree....we will have to wait and see if Ochowicz will lay it out so there is no question of all the riders backing Porte

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re: Re:

I agree....we will have to wait and see if Ochowicz will lay it out so there is no question of all the riders backing Porte

Not a chance, IMO. GVA will probably get a support rider for the puncheur "bunch" sprint finishes, too. Anything else would surprise me.