Richie Porte: I think the Vuelta is probably a realistic goal
17 July 2018 12:05
Richie Porte (BMC Racing) says he'll turn his focus to the Vuelta a Espana and the world championships later this year now that his Tour de France has ended with a broken collarbone suffered early on in stage 9. Speaking in a video recorded by his team, Porte expressed his obvious disappointment at having to leave the Tour for the second consecutive year following his crash and subsequent abandon last year, which also happened to be on stage 9. "Obviously, I'm disappointed. This is not the way we wanted it to end – the same as last year. It's obviously painful physically and mentally, but it is what it is," a relaxed-looking Porte said, his right arm and shoulder wrapped in a purple sling.ADVERTISEMENT Porte joined BMC to much fanfare in 2016, having finally been given a leadership opportunity at the Tour de France after working for Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome at Team Sky. Porte proved his potential with fifth place in 2016, but he was never able to climb higher after crashing and having to abandon the race in the following two years. Now 33, Porte is in the last year of his contract with BMC and is reportedly moving on to Trek-Segafredo next year. He came into this Tour de France looking to secure a podium spot after clinching the Tour de Suisse title in June. But just 10 kilometres into stage 9, Porte's race was over after he was caught in a pile-up before even reaching the cobbles. "To be honest, I don't remember anything – just being on the ground," he said. "As a cyclist knows, that feeling of breaking your collarbone. You know what that's like, and it was confirmed by the first race doctor that came and said to me, 'Yeah, you've broken your collarbone. You need to get in the ambulance.'"
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