Richie Porte left the Giro del Trentino with several trays of Melinda apples and the confidence and fitness he needs for the rapidly approaching Giro d’Italia.
Porte finished safely in the peloton at the finish of the final stage in Cles won by Paolo Tiralongo (Astana).
He and his Team Sky teammates set up overall success with a strong ride in the opening team time trial on Tuesday and then Porte took control of the race by winning stage 2 with a solo attack on the climb to the finish in Brentonico. In a race that became a test of strength between Team Sky and Astana, Porte finished 22 seconds ahead of Mikel Landa, with his Team Sky teammate Leopold König third overall at 58 seconds. Porte’s former teammate and now Astana rider Dario Cataldo was fourth overall at 1:11. They are all likely to clash at the Giro d’Italia.
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Porte followed on from fellow Australia Cadel Evans in the Giro del Trentino roll of honour. He was proud of that achievement but was happier that he had wrapped up victory and could confidently count down the days to the start of the Giro d’Italia on May 9.
“It’s a relief to finish it off today. It wasn’t an easy stage,” he said in his final winner’s press conference. “We didn’t stop for a natural break, so it was a fast day. Mikel Landa tried some attacks too, so it was anything but a stress-free day. But the team was fantastic again and made it as easy as possible for me.”
Porte showed his excellent form for the Giro d’Italia, striking a psychological blow on key rivals Fabio Aru (Astana), who was struck by a nasty stomach virus and so unable to ride the Giro del Trentino.
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