Richie Porte - what do we know about him?

[The Hitch]

7th in any GT I'd say isn't too shabby eh? I think 2-3 years of progression would bring Porte to where he is now. Whether he dopes or not who knows but I see nothing glaringly, widely, weirdly odd, no. I'm sure time will tell.

So your ignoring the actual arguments simply to repeat the original vague and rebutted - oh but he came 7th ergo (lets not look at the context) ergo he must be good.

David Arroyo came 2nd in that Giro. Does that mean if he were to win the Tour de France by dropping everyone on Alpe d huez, there would be absolutely nothing wierd about that?

 

[del1962]

So your ignoring the actual arguments simply to repeat the original vague and rebutted - oh but he came 7th ergo (lets not look at the context) ergo he must be good.

David Arroyo came 2nd in that Giro. Does that mean if he were to win the Tour de France by dropping everyone on Alpe d huez, there would be absolutely nothing wierd about that?

Who did Porte drop today, he never did any real pulling before he made his attack, whereas a number of contenders had already attacked a few times expending energy. For most of the climbe there were over 30 riders pulled along by Sky.

In the end after Porte made his break, the group left just kept looking round at each other, there was no need to lose as much time, but no one wanted to take responsibility for the chase/limiting losses.

And with all due respect to them, all the real strong GC men are at T-A.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

7th in any GT I'd say isn't too shabby eh? I think 2-3 years of progression would bring Porte to where he is now. Whether he dopes or not who knows but I see nothing glaringly, widely, weirdly odd, no. I'm sure time will tell.

Paolo Bettini was 7th in the 1998 Giro, so you can't always take it as read.

Porte is easily the least suspicious of the Four Tour-men of the Apocalypse though, because while his ascent from unknown neo-pro to next big thing was meteoric, it did come with a huge slice of luck. And with 2010 and 2012 in mind there may have been other factors at play to explain his weak 2011, because a guy who'd shown what he had in 2010 could have reasonably been expected to provide more solid support for Contador than he did, so maybe there were illnesses or motivational issues to account for that.

I won't pretend it doesn't concern me to see the level he is now at and how it fits in with the drastic improvements made by others at Team Sky, but his is the most explicable improvement for sure.

 

[hrotha]

Del1962: Huh? It was Porte responding to Talansky every time.

But here we are again, same as last year: the competition is weak, everybody mistimed their peaks, it's too early to judge, and thus we go from March to August.

 

[Cyivel]

Del1962: Huh? It was Porte responding to Talansky every time.

But here we are again, same as last year: the competition is weak, everybody mistimed their peaks, it's too early to judge, and thus we go from March to August.

Here's to another 1000 pages!

 

[zigmeister]

Basso knows what is up....

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/07/news/basso-its-useless-to-try-to-stop-sky_230769

“Look. It’s the same discussion as always, it’s like watching the Tour when Lance [Armstrong] or [Miguel] Indurain raced. You could try to attack, get ahead, but then what are you going to do? Just to have a laugh?” Basso said, sitting on the steps of the team bus.

“If he [Wiggins] goes as they have been, where Richie Porte is pulling and you are on the wheel pushing 420 watts, then explain to me, where are you going to go?

“They’ve done well to bring their captain and vice captain in their best condition. They are doing their work to make sure that those two are protected, nether too fast nor too slow. Like I said, they’re riders with big balls.”

 

[The Hitch]

Who did Porte drop today, he never did any real pulling before he made his attack, whereas a number of contenders had already attacked a few times expending energy. For most of the climbe there were over 30 riders pulled along by Sky.

In the end after Porte made his break, the group left just kept looking round at each other, there was no need to lose as much time, but no one wanted to take responsibility for the chase/limiting losses.

And with all due respect to them, all the real strong GC men are at T-A.

theres an element of that but not enough.

People keep repeating that all the top riders are at TA.

But we do realize that. We know he didnt beat Contador Purito and Evans.
If it had actually been Contador Purito and Evans who Porte dropped like that it would have been even more ridiculous.

That does not mean flying away from Quintana (guy who climbed with Contador last year) and GC top 5ers Menchov Scarponi Velits TJVG and gt 8th place Talansky, was not ridiculous.

It was. Considering Porte is a tt rider who sucked at climbs to see him doing that now is ridiculous.

 

[del1962]

Del1962: Huh? It was Porte responding to Talansky every time.

But here we are again, same as last year: the competition is weak, everybody mistimed their peaks, it's too early to judge, and thus we go from March to August.

Respomding to, but not pullling on the front, Talansky did an insane number of attacks when he did not need to, expending energy.

One of the best things about the clinic is watching the faux outrage of somemany posters when a sky rider wins a race.

 

[Netserk]

Basso knows what is up....

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/07/news/basso-its-useless-to-try-to-stop-sky_230769

“Look. It’s the same discussion as always, it’s like watching the Tour when Lance [Armstrong] or [Miguel] Indurain raced. You could try to attack, get ahead, but then what are you going to do? Just to have a laugh?” Basso said, sitting on the steps of the team bus.

“If he [Wiggins] goes as they have been, where Richie Porte is pulling and you are on the wheel pushing 420 watts, then explain to me, where are you going to go?

“They’ve done well to bring their captain and vice captain in their best condition. They are doing their work to make sure that those two are protected, nether too fast nor too slow. Like I said, they’re riders with big balls.”

= They aren't cheep with the dope.

 

[biopass]

So he took the jersey from a neopro?

Yea that proves everything.

 

[burning]

Porte's mountain stage results from 2011 definitely show his talent

 

[hrotha]

Respomding to, but not pullling on the front, Talansky did an insane number of attacks when he did not need to, expending energy.

One of the best things about the clinic is watching the faux outrage of somemany posters when a sky rider wins a race.

And yet, Talansky was still strong enough to keep responding to attacks and to win the group sprint. I think the effect of his attacks on his performance has been overestimated as a way to try to explain away Porte, who was simpy much stronger from the beginning.

Faux outrage. I guess we're all bitter. Probably fat, too.

 

[The Hitch]

One of the best things about the clinic is watching the faux outrage of somemany posters when a sky rider wins a race.

thank god Bailsford didnt choose cav to win gts with.

watching you spin cav win mountain stages into - people cant stand sky winning, would have been too much.

 

[burning]

thank god Bailsford didnt choose cav to win gts with.

watching you spin cav win mountain stages into - people cant stand sky winning, would have been too much.

Cav had more climbing talent than Froome. Actually EBH was easily the best climber in 2010 in Sky, he may win all 3 GT's a few years later

Edit:
From Giro 2010 Monte Grappa stage:
23. FROOME Chris SKY 04'46"
24. PORTE Richie SAX 04'46"

I think that moment Brailsford realized that Froome and Porte would be the best climbers ever

 

[thehog]

Cav had more climbing talent than Froome. Actually EBH was easily the best climber in 2010 in Sky, he may win all 3 GT's a few years later

Edit:
From Giro 2010 Mortirolo stage:
23. FROOME Chris SKY 04'46"
24. PORTE Richie SAX 04'46"

I think that moment Brailsford realized that Froome and Porte would be the best climbers ever

The both of them must have got chatting that day.

"Richie this is BS. Lets get on the gear and go full ***. Cheating Italians and Spaniards are doing us over"

 

[Benotti69]

Sky fans shouldn't be in here if they really believed that Sky were clean. That you come in here defending them and their riders with spurious arguments and not examining the context of the performance shows that you are kidding yourselves.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

One of the best things about the clinic is watching the faux outrage of somemany posters when a sky rider wins a race.

And yet, Talansky was still strong enough to keep responding to attacks and to win the group sprint. I think the effect of his attacks on his performance has been overestimated as a way to try to explain away Porte, who was simpy much stronger from the beginning.

Faux outrage. I guess we're all bitter. Probably fat, too.

Talansky was really overdoing it, but, all behind him had to put up the same to get to him. Yet, megatalent climber/puncheur Porte sprints away from all, reaaaaally believable.

 

[thehog]

He got that gap, and there was a headwind, and no one wanted to pull. It’s just an unfortunate situation

Yeah, except that I was in the jersey and all I had to do was defend it,” Talansky said. “I had just gone and it was pretty windy, guys were sitting on my wheel. I hesitated for a second, because Richie and me are not the only two here racing to win.

Wow. Porte into a headwind. Strong. Linebacker strong.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Wow. Porte into a headwind. Strong. Linebacker strong.

Porte has stepped over the line, not coming back.
Likes too feel invincible, crossing the line first in dominant fashion. Game over.
If he goes to the Tour it will be 1-2 for Sky again.

 

[Netserk]

So Porte is faster in headwind than doped up Frank and Lulu with tailwind

 

[ferryman]

Respomding to, but not pullling on the front, Talansky did an insane number of attacks when he did not need to, expending energy.

One of the best things about the clinic is watching the faux outrage of somemany posters when a sky rider wins a race.

Just wait until tomorrow if Froome does the same at T-A.

 

[Pentacycle]

Porte has stepped over the line, not coming back.
Likes too feel invincible, crossing the line first in dominant fashion. Game over.
If he goes to the Tour it will be 1-2 for Sky again.

No way they're letting Porte do that. They'll tune him down for sure.

His current level's too good to be true, but ofc his TT talent he showed in 2010 meant that with his relatively low weight he could be like a Leipi II on the climbs, but he didn't have the ways and means to show it to the world.

Still way too fresh today, his performance looked like what he did on Malhao 2012, yet this climb is way longer and the competition is stronger.

 

[Bexon30]

Just wait until tomorrow if Froome does the same at T-A.

That's a given. Wiggo for Giro. Froome daag for Le Tour. And take your pick for the Vuelta. Well done Sir Dave.

 

[Miburo]

Just wait until tomorrow if Froome does the same at T-A.

The clinic will explode and hopefully the journalists too then

 

[BMCBikes]

How can anyone watch what Sky is doing and not believe they're doping. They're making US Postal look like pikers.