While many punters are backing Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and even Cadel Evans to be wearing the maillot jaune down the Champs-Élysées later this month, there is another Aussie knocking at the door that could very well steal the show.
Richie Porte has quietly become one of the top Australian cyclists in recent years after swapping Saxo Bank for Team Sky prior to the 2012 season, and is now one of the country’s top hopes at this year’s Tour de France.
Riding as a domestique for much of his career, where he helped riders like Contador and Sir Bradley Wiggins to Grand Tour victories, moving to Sky has also allowed him to flourish as a general classification rider in his own right.
Prior to his signing with Team Sky, Porte’s only achievement of note on the world stage was donning the white jersey for best young rider at the 2010 Giro d’Italia.
However since he took overall honours at the Volta ao Algarve ahead of teammate Wiggins in 2012, he has begun to push more for a leadership role in the team.
Far from being selfish though, Porte has bided his time, only taking a lead role when called upon in the absence of Froome or Wiggins.
Being a relatively late comer to the professional cycling scene, only signing with a professional team in 2010, Porte has seized his opportunity in 2013, leading Team Sky in this year’s Paris-Nice stage race and taking overall honours; the first Australian to do so.
That would be a sign of things to come for the Tasmanian, who claimed the points classification at the Critérium International while still finishing second overall to teammate Froome.
He later followed up these results with two more second place finishes at the Tour of Basque and the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he rode as a domestique and helped Froome to another overall victory.
There is no doubt that Porte’s results over the last 12 months or so are quite outstanding, even when playing second fiddle for Sky he still seems to rank very highly in the overall standings, much like we saw with Froome in last year’s edition of the Tour de France.
Obviously though, Froome is Team Sky’s leader, and the riding will be all about him in the hopes of propelling him into the yellow jersey for their arrival in Paris, as we saw on Stage 8.
But with Porte’s good form this season, could we see a repeat of 2012 where Froome was often caught waiting for Wiggins on those climbs through the Alps?
There is no doubt that Froome could have won the Tour de France last year had he not been riding in support of Wiggins.
While Porte definitely has what it takes to win this year, but we may not get to see that this year, because Porte is more of a team player, who is happy to work for his leader, and take his opportunities when it presents itself.
Unlike Froome and Wiggins, who have an air of pride around individual triumph, and will stop at nothing to get it.
Porte’s time will come though.
Having stated himself that he will be the team leader for the Giro d’Italia, it presents a perfect opportunity for him to snare a victory in a Grand Tour and cement his place as Australia’s top road cyclist with Evans getting on in age.
Realistically, he won’t win the Tour de France this year, barring injury to Froome, but you could put your money on a podium finish for the Tasmanian, which goes to show just how far he has come along since signing with Team Sky.
The victories may not come straight away, but Porte’s mettle will serve him well, and there is no question that a Grand Tour victory will be coming the way of the Tasmanian in the not-so-distant future.
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