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Chris Froome's crash could be the making of Richie Porte

10th July, 2014
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Richie Porte is out to defend his national ITT title. (Image: AFP)
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10th July, 2014
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Many questioned Team Sky’s wisdom in not selecting Bradley Wiggins for the 2014 Tour de France, but Sky believed they already had an alternate leader should disaster strike.

On Wednesday, disaster did indeed strike, with Chris Froome crashing out of the Tour de France, ending hopes of a British treble. But it isn’t the end of Sky’s Tour.

2014 could be the making of Richie Porte, who suffered a crash himself on Stage 5. However, Porte climbed back into the saddle following his accident and was paced back to the peloton by Geraint Thomas, who rode like a man possessed.

In fact, Thomas even helped Porte put time into Alberto Contador.

“I saw Contador was struggling a bit on the cobbles,” Thomas told TeamSky.com. “So I said, ‘Richie, get on my wheel, let’s just smash it and see what happens.’”

Thomas said the team believed Porte was always a genuine GC contender, “We came into the race with a two-pronged attack, and now it’s all for Richie.”

Porte finished Stage 5 at 2 minutes 11 seconds behind stage winner Lars Boom, eighth place overall in the general classification, 1 minute 54 down to Vincenzo Nibali, but 43 seconds ahead of Contador.

Porte said after the stage that Sky had begun to plan for the possibility of losing their No. 1 rider after Froome’s crash during Stage 4.

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“Given his fall yesterday, it was always going to be hard for Froomey to hang in there,” Porte said. “So the decision was made on the bus that I’d have G (Thomas) and Bernie (Eisel) to ride for me, and they did an incredible job on the wet and slippery roads.”

While it would be a big call to suggest Porte could finish in Paris wearing the yellow jersey, the podium isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

“Obviously losing Froomey is not good, but Richie is in good form and he’ll definitely be up there in Paris,” said Thomas.

“Richie has got a great chance to ride for himself and I’ve got every confidence that he can do that.”

Porte was equally optimistic about the road to Paris, saying, “Now I have an opportunity to go for as high a GC position as I can.”

Chosen as Sky’s leader for this year’s Giro d’Italia, illness forced Porte to withdraw before the race began. The Tasmanian can climb with the best of them and is one of the best time triallists in the peloton. While he cracked something fierce during Stage 9 in last year’s Tour, that came on that back of a day in which he had ridden relentlessly to put Froome in the Maillot Jaune.

Arguably the most difficult part for Porte is the lack of a super-domestique, as he was to Froome, to support him in the high alps. But Contador is without his main lieutenant too, Roman Kreuziger ruled out under a doping cloud in late June.

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Of course, Nibali wears yellow and must now be considered race favourite, with teammate Jakob Fuglsang second overall, and as I said earlier, Porte in the Maillot Jaune on July 27th is a brave call.

But he’s got the talent and the team to finish top three. It’s up to him whether it happens.

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