Richie Porte Discussion Thread.

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Re: Re:

I feel bad for him.

He has the engine to win a GT. I wonder if he can seek out some kind of coaching or extra training for descents? It's clearly an issue for him. In the interview before the race started, he brought it up as a worry. So you know it was on his mind.

No, he hasn't got the engine.

He climbs very well and TT's as good as contenders not called Froome or Tommy D. His engine is certainly good enough. Froome can't enter every race, which gives others a chance. Clearly it's his bike handling/mentality that is the issue. Tough to overcome that though when you obviously do get big descents and bad weather in 3 week races.

 

[Jancouver]

I hope that he will fully recover and will realize that he should focus on week-long races. He is very good at those but GTs are just not for him. I have been saying that for years and most around here think that I hate him for some reason.

No, I don't hate him and I don't even dislike him. I'm just being honest about his capabilities and weaknesses which most of his fans are not willing to admit. I think the polka jersey or stage hunting is more suited to his style or riding. That's all.

Speedy recovery my favorite little-man!

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

He wasn't gonna win it anyway, too busy doing dom duties for pal Froome. Also somebody should of told him to be more careful because he is not good at descending, it cost Martin time, wounds and a potential stage win. Hope he'll be OK and stick with one week races, there he is a factor.

It must be nerves, because you can't reel off the curve e like that unless you are already ***-ting. And that's what he misses to win the Tour.

He rode the same descent a month before and rode it without incident albeit slower than Froome.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

So..the doctors report is out..
Fractured collarbone and hip.
4-6 weeks off.
His season is over.
Chapeau to a great season!

Yes he will be bitterly disappointed as will BMC. Realistically he probably has two or more years at his peak. Hopefully he can get grab some good results. The pelvis injury is a bit of worry. Some riders seem to have issues with those after they return. Great response by the Tour's medical team as well.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

I feel bad for him.

He has the engine to win a GT. I wonder if he can seek out some kind of coaching or extra training for descents? It's clearly an issue for him. In the interview before the race started, he brought it up as a worry. So you know it was on his mind.

No, he hasn't got the engine.

He has plenty of engine.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

His crash looked nasty and that wasn't a technical corner, maybe it was lack of focus, maybe he got blocked, I don't know, but it looked like a rookie mistake.
That said, I hope that the injury isn't too bad and having him back to ride the Vuelta would be pretty good, get well soon Richie!

Strange place to have a lack of focus when it was the main point of the race that everyone had discussed beforehand. Valverde crashed on the same descent in the Dauphine as did others. It's a dodgy descent especially when riders are pushing on.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Just wanted to say I was never really a fan of his, that is until I saw that vid on YouTube where he apparently called Durianrider the c word. He could almost do no wrong after that.

Sorry he's out of the Tour. Richie deserves to win a GT.

 

[portugal11]

Re:

Just wanted to say I was never really a fan of his, that is until I saw that vid on YouTube where he apparently called Durianrider the c word. He could almost do no wrong after that.

Sorry he's out of the Tour. Richie deserves to win a GT.

Seriously, i can't understand why he deserves to win a gt more than others gc contenders. He made another rookie mistake like he always does (until now) in gt's. Thanks god, cycling is way more than just putting watts on the pedals.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

He deserves to win after what he said to DR.

 

[Cookster15]

Re:

I feel bad for him.

He has the engine to win a GT. I wonder if he can seek out some kind of coaching or extra training for descents? It's clearly an issue for him. In the interview before the race started, he brought it up as a worry. So you know it was on his mind.

Yep after watching him descending that same mountain in the Dauphine it was obvious he was hanging on for dear life not surprised it was on his mind before today but then made worse by the damp conditions. Froome has improved his descending no reason why Porte can't.

The thing is when you are descending well you are usually not just faster but ride with a greater margin for error. Hopefully Porte and BMC can work on a plan to first get his confidence back but secondly to improve his technique for next season.

A shocking reminder of what can go wrong I wish Ritchie a speedy recovery and yes he can win a GT if everything goes right. I hope so yes he deserves it after what he has shown the last two seasons he is the real deal.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

He wasn't gonna win it anyway, too busy doing dom duties for pal Froome. Also somebody should of told him to be more careful because he is not good at descending, it cost Martin time, wounds and a potential stage win. Hope he'll be OK and stick with one week races, there he is a factor.

It must be nerves, because you can't reel off the curve e like that unless you are already ***-ting. And that's what he misses to win the Tour.

He rode the same descent a month before and rode it without incident albeit slower than Froome.

The degree of pressure isn't comparable.

 

[perico]

Re: Re:

I feel bad for him.

He has the engine to win a GT. I wonder if he can seek out some kind of coaching or extra training for descents? It's clearly an issue for him. In the interview before the race started, he brought it up as a worry. So you know it was on his mind.

No, he hasn't got the engine.

He has plenty of engine.

Yeah he does, but age really isn't on his side either. This was his best chance. He and Froome are both coming right to the edge where your age starts to take its natural effect (look at Contador on stage 9, who is 2 years older, and before anyone mentions him- Horner references should be referred to clinic). Evans is the oldest modern Tour winner, and his descent was swift after 2011. Realistically Porte may have 1 more year as a GC rider. Even Froome isn't the same rider he was 2 years ago.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

I feel bad for him.

He has the engine to win a GT. I wonder if he can seek out some kind of coaching or extra training for descents? It's clearly an issue for him. In the interview before the race started, he brought it up as a worry. So you know it was on his mind.

No, he hasn't got the engine.

He has plenty of engine.

Yeah he does, but age really isn't on his side either. This was his best chance. He and Froome are both coming right to the edge where your age starts to take its natural effect (look at Contador on stage 9, who is 2 years older, and before anyone mentions him- Horner references should be referred to clinic). Evans is the oldest modern Tour winner, and his descent was swift after 2011. Realistically Porte may have 1 more year as a GC rider. Even Froome isn't the same rider he was 2 years ago.

Yes he probably has two more years even with his late start but the form he was in this year may never return. Sport is unforgiving in that way if opportunities are not taken. Stephen K in the 2016 Giro could relate to that I am sure. Pelvis injuries can also be a problem for some riders. Andy Schleck only had a hairline fracture but of course he also had other issues. Evans is in a different class, a fantastic bike handler and the two serious crashes he had in the Tour were caused by other riders falling in front of him. Evans also had previous GT podiums at the Tour and Vuelta. Froome seemed to change his style after the 2015 Tour when Quintana came back strong in the third week and Froome was just hanging on. Since then he rarely goes for the big mountain attack, whether it's because he can't or because he is wanting to be stronger in the third week, it's hard to say. Contador has dropped a lot in the past 12 months and he has already reached the tipping point as far as winning GTs goes.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

He wasn't gonna win it anyway, too busy doing dom duties for pal Froome. Also somebody should of told him to be more careful because he is not good at descending, it cost Martin time, wounds and a potential stage win. Hope he'll be OK and stick with one week races, there he is a factor.

It must be nerves, because you can't reel off the curve e like that unless you are already ***-ting. And that's what he misses to win the Tour.

He rode the same descent a month before and rode it without incident albeit slower than Froome.

The degree of pressure isn't comparable.

Well that's debatable the way Froome was bombing down the descent in the Dauphine. Porte was probably better off sitting on the back or just off the back as other riders have done who have similar issues with such descents. He actually did that in the Dauphine and caught up at the bottom when the road started to flatten out. Poor Dan Martin probably wishes he did but Martin also said the road was slippery.

 

[sienna]

It seems Aru had a role in the crash - Richie didn't screw up by himself.

 

[Leinster]

It seems Aru had a role in the crash - Richie didn't screw up by himself.

That's drawing a long bow. Porte was behind Aru, but appeared to take a different line into the corner. Aru was in direct formation behind the man in front of him.

It looks like the order in the group into the corner was Froome, Fuglsang, Aru, Porte, Martin, Uran, Bardet. The first 3 swing to the right and switch back left. Porte doesn't turn right far enough, and bins it. Martin said his back wheel skidded out a bit, so maybe he touched the brakes a little?

Of the 7, it doesn't look like there was a bike length gap between any 2 of them.

 

[memyselfandI]

Re: Re:

Even Froome isn't the same rider he was 2 years ago.

Froome has clearly upped his bike handling skills through his career, unlike say Pinot and Porte, well maybe they have too, but not at all that much and so visibly. Froome has been on the ground lately too, pants torn many times aso, but it probably shows his mental strenght and fearless attitude to go into the thick of the action again and again.

 

[HelloDolly]

I am gutted for Richei Porte...a really descent chap. one of the good guys
I really feared for him on the descent of the Mont Du Chat ...he was very nervous about it all and so it came to pass that our worse fears become self fulling prophecies

What is more the Tour will suffer from the lack of Porte...I truly believe he was the best climber. in the race ..better than Froome ...and I think Froome knows this...(though Froome is the better all rounder) ..He was the most comfortable going up the Chat yesterday

All those month of prep and training camps....alll gone
Will be hard to get back to this phenomenal level that Porte had this year....you don't get many chance to win the Tour

I think maybe next year he picks the GT based on the course that suits him best ...MTFs and TT ...rather than downhills..and have at least one GT to his palmares...Without team sky his chances are multiplied

 

[yaco]

Want Porte to target the Giro and Vuelta in 2018. He can perform well in those races.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/blog/2017/07/09/tan-lines-singularly-focused

"The way BMC Racing rode the first major mountain stage of this year's Tour sends all the wrong signals to not just their rivals, but their leader, too, writes Anthony Tan."

Succinctly put. Then again Porte failed to deliver on Wednesday and is likely to fade ...but BMC could have waited until after the rest day, considering Porte's accomplishments in the first half of the season.

Just GVA would have sufficed yesterday.

That article is misleading...Porte was not isolated yesterday (Saturday) ...he had three riders with him until the final climb and then he had one Caruso

I dont mind the criticism but would want the truth

Anthony Tan is a poor analyst. He's also part of the cycling central podcast whose claim to fame i all the crew have fallen out of love with road cycling.

 

[perico]

Re: Re:

Even Froome isn't the same rider he was 2 years ago.

Froome has clearly upped his bike handling skills through his career, unlike say Pinot and Porte, well maybe they have too, but not at all that much and so visibly. Froome has been on the ground lately too, pants torn many times aso, but it probably shows his mental strenght and fearless attitude to go into the thick of the action again and again.

His acceleration on the climbs isn't lethal any more it can still drop most, but nobody could hold his wheel besides Quintana at the 2015 Tour and Bertie at the 2014 Vuelta. He's adjusted his style accordingly. I hate to make the comparison (and this is only for racing style and not clinic), but it somewhat reminds me of Armstrong in 2005. He wasn't tearing the field to shreds anymore, but was a smarter rider and able to cover every move made. He's a much more confident and patient rider.

 

[movingtarget]

Interview with Richie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gK1VG8UtXM

 

[Jancouver]

It seems Aru had a role in the crash - Richie didn't screw up by himself.

Yes he did. He picked that wheel and he should be able to react to whatever obstacle is in front of him. This "blame others" game is pathetic.

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Just wanted to say I was never really a fan of his, that is until I saw that vid on YouTube where he apparently called Durianrider the c word. He could almost do no wrong after that.

Sorry he's out of the Tour. Richie deserves to win a GT.

No he does not deserves to win a GT. Nobody does. He got just one top 10 in seven TdF starts. Zubledia has four so it would be fair to say that Zubeldia deserves to win a GT more than the little man.

Sorry, but its pathetic to think about him as a GT podium contender. I hope this nonsense promoted by his blinded fans goes away sooner than later as that would be a better outcome for him.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

Just wanted to say I was never really a fan of his, that is until I saw that vid on YouTube where he apparently called Durianrider the c word. He could almost do no wrong after that.

Sorry he's out of the Tour. Richie deserves to win a GT.

No he does not deserves to win a GT. Nobody does. He got just one top 10 in seven TdF starts. Zubledia has four so it would be fair to say that Zubeldia deserves to win a GT more than the little man.

Sorry, but its pathetic to think about him as a GT podium contender. I hope this nonsense promoted by his blinded fans goes away sooner than later as that would be a better outcome for him.

Ah belt up...you speak plenty bias nonsense yourself ....
Porte deserves a good chance at the GT as he has the climbing & TT ability..one of the best in the current peloton...that is not in dispute . so the only nonsense is from you ..Zubeldia may have had it back in the day but not any longer...wonder why people backing Porte upsets you so much... you wish the guy ill luck at every corner and are almost gleeful at him not doing well...petty