Richie Porte - what do we know about him?

[Stradebianche]

What are the chances Froome is assigned the Giro and does not appear in the TdF?

I would agree except that with the start being in the UK they will want a British team leader to maximise interest,even if it is a Kenyan Brit !
I can't see Wiggins doing another GT.

 

[Rollthedice]

Nice summary. Where did you pull some of that information from?

Just watched the stage. That's my take. Porte was like a Duracell bunny.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I would agree except that with the start being in the UK they will want a British team leader to maximise interest,even if it is a Kenyan Brit !
I can't see Wiggins doing another GT.

I had forgotten all about the start in Yorkshire. Seems like ASO/UCI "growing cycling" once more.

 

[Benotti69]

I would agree except that with the start being in the UK they will want a British team leader to maximise interest,even if it is a Kenyan Brit !
I can't see Wiggins doing another GT.

Next year Geraint Thomas will be the chosen Alien.

 

[Stradebianche]

I had forgotten all about the start in Yorkshire. Seems like ASO/UCI "growing cycling" once more.

Yes the marketing has started already.
http://letour.yorkshire.com/

10 million GBP of government funding involved i think,along with input from British Cycling and various other cycling and alternative transport groups to promote grass roots cycling.

It shows how important it is to have another year of GB domination to maintain interest in the general public

 

[taiwan]

Yes the marketing has started already.
http://letour.yorkshire.com/

10 million GBP of government funding involved i think,along with input from British Cycling and various other cycling and alternative transport groups to promote grass roots cycling.

It shows how important it is to have another year of GB domination to maintain interest in the general public

Slam dunk.

 

[Stradebianche]

Slam dunk.

Yes

Especially in the UK where road racing is still very much a minority sport.A massive spectator turnout and big boost in bike sales could be expected with continued GB success and a UK Grand Depart.
There is an awful lot of money and business involved of course.

Then there are things like the "SKY rides" which are organised rides often for beginners or family groups all riding round in dayglo SKY bibs,nice advertising bonus and more new bike sales of course.

http://www.goskyride.com/

Much of the interest would fade quickly if some Spanish or Italian guy wins the tour as the UK at large does not have that basic interest in the sport.

 

[kaffenback]

Yes

Especially in the UK where road racing is still very much a minority sport.A massive spectator turnout and big boost in bike sales could be expected with continued GB success and a UK Grand Depart.
There is an awful lot of money and business involved of course.

Then there are things like the "SKY rides" which are organised rides often for beginners or family groups all riding round in dayglo SKY bibs,nice advertising bonus and more new bike sales of course.

http://www.goskyride.com/

Much of the interest would fade quickly if some Spanish or Italian guy wins the tour as the UK at large does not have that basic interest in the sport.

No doubt.
Shame that Wiggo has bailed / been pressured out based on Froome's stat as he's a much more popular figurehead in the UK than the confusing Froome will be. Not to mention the cloud slowly forming around him.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Yes

Especially in the UK where road racing is still very much a minority sport.A massive spectator turnout and big boost in bike sales could be expected with continued GB success and a UK Grand Depart.
There is an awful lot of money and business involved of course.

Then there are things like the "SKY rides" which are organised rides often for beginners or family groups all riding round in dayglo SKY bibs,nice advertising bonus and more new bike sales of course.

http://www.goskyride.com/

Much of the interest would fade quickly if some Spanish or Italian guy wins the tour as the UK at large does not have that basic interest in the sport.

There's money for ASO and UCI in what you describe. Like Armstrong in the U.S. it doesn't increase participation rates. It increases viewers.

BTW, the new bike sales tend to grow more as access improves or fuel prices increase relative to other living costs.

 

[Stradebianche]

No doubt.
Shame that Wiggo has bailed / been pressured out based on Froome's stat as he's a much more popular figurehead in the UK than the confusing Froome will be. Not to mention the cloud slowly forming around him.

I think there is much more than meets the eye with the Wiggo situation.
It will be quite interesting to see if he does actually ride the Tour of Britain and with what level of seriousness should he do so.

Definitely a more popular and recognisable figurehead than Froome.After last years tour kids would often shout "Wiggins" at me while i was out on my road bike.I have not had anyone shout "Froomedawg" at me yet !

Even so it makes the national news each night that Froome has maintained the yellow jersey.I suspect without Froome/Sky the national coverage or the tour would be minmal to non existant.

 

[roundabout]

Yes the marketing has started already.
http://letour.yorkshire.com/

10 million GBP of government funding involved i think,along with input from British Cycling and various other cycling and alternative transport groups to promote grass roots cycling.

It shows how important it is to have another year of GB domination to maintain interest in the general public

Apart from the banner on the town hall announcing the grand depart I haven't really noticed anything. And that banner did not last too long.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Apart from the banner on the town hall announcing the grand depart I haven't really noticed anything. And that banner did not last too long.

What is there to notice? They spend it on producing the event. What might be interesting is collecting the public accounting of the funds used, costs assumed for hosting the race.

 

[roundabout]

What is there to notice? They spend it on producing the event. What might be interesting is collecting the public accounting of the funds used, costs assumed for hosting the race.

Yeah, I suppose you are right. Yorkshire in winter is no place for a fete.

Money

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/News/Pages/...ery-plan-for-Tour-de-France-Grand-Départ.aspx

More money

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/rye..._10_000_for_Yorkshire_s_Tour_de_France_stage/

 

[taiwan]

Certainly helps clear up ASOs motivation for serving up this Sky BS. 21m GBP is so much more immediate than "growing the UK audience".

With any luck by 2015 we'll have an open race again.

 

[Stradebianche]

There's money for ASO and UCI in what you describe. Like Armstrong in the U.S. it doesn't increase participation rates. It increases viewers.

BTW, the new bike sales tend to grow more as access improves or fuel prices increase relative to other living costs.

Yes for sure thats right,it can certainly be likened to the Armstrong era in that respect and possibly other respects too !

There is definitely an open agenda to try and increase participation in the UK but it will have limited success i think.

We have the high fuel prices but not the infrastructure really.
Britain has a strange relationship with bikes,many people have them but relatively few use them.
Cyclists are not very well tolerated on the road and that is probably the greatest hurdle for those wishing to get the country on two wheels.

 

[Ferminal]

2016 Grand Depart in Tasmania?

 

[darwin553]

He's a champ. Great ride yesterday. If it wasn't for Sky comms from the team car, he could have gone after Rodriquez and Quintana.

Interestingly enough, when the tv director cut to Froome at the stage when Porte's domestique pace was getting too much for the group that Froome was in, it was almost as if when it showed Froome shaking his head that he was shaking his head to the communication from the car for Porte to slow down and keep Froome in toe.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Porte playing around with the field on the Alpe is hilarious.

Talking, smiling, accelerating, dropping off, getting food, pacing captain pretty much all way, giving drunk spectators the angry look and still dropping everybody except the ridiculous J-Rod/Quintana duo.

No doubt Porte could have dropped everybody on the Alpe if he was protected.

Nothing to do with sports, this is a circus.

 

[thehog]

Porte playing around with the field on the Alpe is hilarious.

Talking, smiling, accelerating, dropping off, getting food, pacing captain pretty much all way, giving drunk spectators the angry look and still dropping everybody except the ridiculous J-Rod/Quintana duo.

No doubt Porte could have dropped everybody on the Alpe if he was protected.

Nothing to do with sports, this is a circus.

Yes. On one hand you had Sky supporters telling us "look look, Froome is human, he bonked and went slow" - meanwhile Porte became Krusty the Clown for the day running up and down the mountain performing tricks on his bike.

Bizarre.

 

[meat puppet]

porte so cool yesterday. would be awesome if sky rotated the designated leader every year.

 

[webvan]

Yeah very bizarre indeed...this is getting harder and harder to explain :-(

 

[Carstenbf]

Tell you what's wrong with Richie ..

He rode for MY team for two seasons. Decent TT'er. Decent Dom. Lucky breakaway Maglia Rosa.

Enter team SKY. New cycling prodigy. Serious stage race contender.


Natural progression? What do I know. I do however get a sudden onset of nausea whenever the camera finds him.

 

[dsut4392]

Cyclists are not very well tolerated on the road and that is probably the greatest hurdle for those wishing to get the country on two wheels.

OT, but if this is what you think about riding in the UK, you have obviously never been to Australia! Tolerance of cyclists by other road users in England is an order of magnitude better than in Australia, whether you're comparing London to Sydney, or rural Devon to country Tasmania.

Richie is clean as a whistle [*], he's just fast from all the practice chasing down w4nkers that tried to run him off the road

[*] whistle sold in "as is" condition, no claims as to merchantability or fitness for purpose are made. Buyer to make own inspection, all sales are final.

 

[the sceptic]

“The power data, it’s not going to prove everything. The average punter out there doesn’t know how to interpret the data. I’m a pro rider and to be honest I can’t look at my SRM files and understand all that either,” Porte said.

“Whatever you say you’re going to get canned but an SRM is a box on my bike and tells me what power to train at. I don’t really look at it in a race. I read somewhere that Froome was criticised for always reading his SRM but that’s just how he rides, with his head down. I train with the guy everyday and he’s forever just riding into you, but that’s just how he rides."

Richie Porte what do we know about him?

We know he isnt exactly the sharpest rider in the peloton.

 

[darwin553]

Richie Porte what do we know about him?

We know he isnt exactly the sharpest rider in the peloton.

Not exactly Sky material is he then?