Richie Porte - what do we know about him?

[del1962]

Considering two of those are known dopers and not many would have trouble throwing the third down the river...

But I doubt their withdrawals are doping related

 

[GuyIncognito]

But I doubt there withdrawals are doping related

What does location have to do with it?

 

[thehog]

But I doubt there withdrawals are doping related

There's "their" then there's over "there".

 

[BradCantona]

Some of these posts border on hysteria.... the leap to conclude that doping is the reason behind everything that team Sky says or does cheapens some of the genuinely interesting debate on here.

This is spot on

 

[Ferminal]

But I doubt their withdrawals are doping related

I think only Ferrari recommends donating blood to others, if it's for yourself it's doping.

 

[gooner]

His Giro participation is in a bit of doubt now.

Asked if the illness and his time out of racing has affected his campaign for the Giro, Porte said: “It has compromised my Giro preparation. I’m not sure. I will have to make a decision with David Brailsford and Tim Kerrison.”

http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cyc...ro-ditalia-under-a-cloud-20140328-zqo09.html?

Would he be better going to the Tour and having a full crack at the Vuelta in his best condition? I suppose if it came to it they could go with Nieve but I still would be surprised to see Brailsford and Kerrison allow this happen with Uran gone and it looks like no Henao to fall back on. They were planning for the Giro for a long time with him and Porte even spoke about it as far back on the day of his P-N win last year.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

His Giro participation is in a bit of doubt now.



http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cyc...ro-ditalia-under-a-cloud-20140328-zqo09.html?

Would he be better going to the Tour and having a full crack at the Vuelta in his best condition? I suppose if it came to it they could go with Nieve but I still would be surprised to see Brailsford and Kerrison allow this happen with Uran gone and it looks like no Henao to fall back on. They were planning for the Giro for a long time with him and Porte even spoke about it as far back on the day of his P-N win last year.

Considering that Henao - one of Froome's main mountain doms - is probably out for (most of) the rest of the season, I'd say it's actually a great idea to have Porte skip the Giro and focus on supporting Froome at the Tour instead. They need him there in his best condition, along with Nieve. Sky isn't that strong in the mountains anymore.

Porte was never going to set the Giro alight. With what he has shown so far this season it will even be an embarrassment for Sky, so all the more reason to focus on their number one rider and number one goal, IMO

 

[pastronef]

Considering that Henao - one of Froome's main mountain doms - is probably out for (most of) the rest of the season, I'd say it's actually a great idea to have Porte skip the Giro and focus on supporting Froome at the Tour instead. They need him there in his best condition, along with Nieve. Sky isn't that strong in the mountains anymore.

Porte was never going to set the Giro alight. With what he has shown so far this season it will even be an embarrassment for Sky, so all the more reason to focus on their number one rider and number one goal, IMO

agree with the bolded part. people are waiting for him to fail at the giro just like wiggo last year.
so if his form does not get better, skipping the Giro would be the best choice. focus on the Tour with the kennaugh-nieve-porte train to help froome.

 

[thehog]

Sounds like Richie really is sick. Or missing something.

 

[The Hitch]

Sounds like Richie really is sick. Or missing something.

Maybe he has Bilharzia.

 

[thehog]

Maybe he has Bilharzia.

You could be right!

Better check if his brother has it! Or maybe the passport test picked it up?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Is it just me, or is it a bit weird that Porte himself has not once been in front of an interviewer or otherwise, discussing his "illness" and racing plans and changes?

See plenty of talk from the team about what he's going through health wise and what his racing is morphing into for 2014, but nothing from Porte himself.

Perhaps saving it all for his next CN blog diary?

 

[JRanton]

Is it just me, or is it a bit weird that Porte himself has not once been in front of an interviewer or otherwise, discussing his "illness" and racing plans and changes?

See plenty of talk from the team about what he's going through health wise and what his racing is morphing into for 2014, but nothing from Porte himself.

Perhaps saving it all for his next CN blog diary?

There are some quotes from him at the top of this page from about a week ago. It doesn't sound like he particularly disagrees with the decision. He'll know that to have had any chance of winning the Giro his preparation would've needed to be close to perfect.

 

[Archibald]

Is it just me, or is it a bit weird that Porte himself has not once been in front of an interviewer or otherwise, discussing his "illness" and racing plans and changes?

See plenty of talk from the team about what he's going through health wise and what his racing is morphing into for 2014, but nothing from Porte himself.

Perhaps saving it all for his next CN blog diary?

not like sky to play funny-bug-gers around what riders are really doing... they were totally transparent about wiggins last year in the lad up to the TdF, right?

then again, i guess DB isn't about to come out and say "yeah, AC is looking good, so we've quashed Richie's Giro because we're gonna need him at 100% to help Chris at TdF again"

 

[Dear Wiggo]

There are some quotes from him at the top of this page from about a week ago. It doesn't sound like he particularly disagrees with the decision. He'll know that to have had any chance of winning the Giro his preparation would've needed to be close to perfect.

Not sure if it's complete naivety on my part, but I would kinda think, in his place

1. I'd go do a quick interview somewhere so they can hear my sniffly nose and see how crook I look to go from being close to winning to now pulling out entirely.
2. Again with the next race, same deal - let the people see how crook I am.

Dunno.

The transformation from "riding to win" to pulling out entirely, overnight, just seemed so sudden. And there's been nothing since.

 

[doperhopper]

Maybe he has Bilharzia.

that's what happens if you don't wash your hands - but maybe Brail' has yet another marginal gain to adopt: if you can't kill the opponents by mounain attack, kill them with drone attack

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/07/drone_hacked_to_take_out_triathlete/

 

[TourOfSardinia]

that's what happens if you don't wash your hands - but maybe Brail' has yet another marginal gain to adopt: if you can't kill the opponents by mountain attack, kill them with drone attack

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/07/drone_hacked_to_take_out_triathlete/

Amazing lengths they go to!

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Good signs from two weeks traning on Tenerife
I'm back. Well, from training in Tenerife. My racing comeback is still a few days off but it's good to be home after two weeks on the volcano with the team. Back to greenery, friendly people, and a bit more atmosphere in general is always good for the spirit and I'm looking forward to getting back into racing with Liège-Bastogne-Liège this Sunday and then Romandie next week.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/richie-porte/ready-for-return-to-racing-at-liege-and-romandie

Other teams are looking at how we train and that's good for cycling as a whole as it shows evolution

Good .

 

[Nathan12]

"a month without racing just means it's not realistic".

Like Froome before the 2012 Tour, you mean.

 

[Ventoux Boar]

Selective? Moi?

^ If you had read on a little you would have found this additional context which seems germane.

I would have loved to have raced the Giro but at Tirreno I went from being up there on one mountain stage, and in quite good condition, to being knelt over a toilet in my time trial position due to gastroenteritis. I thought that I was okay for Catalunya but I just had nothing in the tank and when you know, you just know.

In the last few days, of course I've thought about changing track and going to the Giro. You're out training, you're feeling good and you can't help but think to yourself 'yeah I can still do this' but a month without racing just means it's not realistic. A month without racing feels like an eternity and no matter how much work you do at altitude, it's still not the same.

The reality is that you can't lose three weeks of training so close to a grand tour.

 

[Nathan12]

^ If you had read on a little you would have found this additional context which seems germane.

Well, quite.

 

[roundabout]

Seems to be really struggling.

 

[the sceptic]

did he get dropped again?

incredible drop in performance from last year.

 

[DirtyWorks]

did he get dropped again?

incredible drop in performance from last year.

I guess the volcano isn't granting super-powers any more.

 

[the sceptic]

I guess the volcano isn't granting super-powers any more.

If Porte was clean last year, then whats going on now? It doesnt make any sense.

I would love to see how sky fans would explain this. Its not normal for someone to peak for 6 months and be a top 3 climber in the world one year, and the next year become a donkey who gets dropped on flat stages and DNF every other race.