The kit and the bike may have changed but the ambitions within Richie Porte remain the same, if not become more acute, as he sits down and greets the press at BMC Racing’s December camp in Denia. He has changed teams in order to give himself the best opportunity of winning a Tour de France, and while the phrase ‘now or never’ might flex on the side of hyperbolic, there’s a touch of truth to it.
During the morning and well before his media session, while his teammates sipped their coffee and limbered from their slumber, Porte was in the gym enjoying a one-on-one session of core stability work. Bent over backwards, and in a position most would describe as distressingly uncomfortable, Porte managed a quick wave and hello to a couple of journalists before moving back into work.
The early morning class is a measure of dedication one could say but also a realisation within Porte that his move to BMC and ambition of winning the Tour de France can suffer no distractions. Not even on media day.
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“At the end of the day I knew what I had in Sky, and I was happy there but I’ve been close to coming to BMC before,” a relaxed Porte explains to the press.
“I’m finally here and certainly in the early part of last season, I showed that when I had good form I do need to take my own opportunities. Obviously I’m here and alongside Tejay we can be competitive in the Tour de France.
The question about who will lead the Tour de France team - Porte or Tejay van Garderen - will be irrelevant if both riders replicate their Grand Tour form from 2015 but BMC have placed trust, not to mention funds, in backing their two challengers. Both are similar in stature and style, although there’s no doubting that Porte has won more week-long races, and that van Garderen is a more proven top-five rider in the Tour.
- See also: Van Garderen and Porte see eye to eye on Tour de France - Cyclingnews Podcast
- Dennis and Porte to lead BMC at Tour Down Under
- Richie Porte's BMC Teammachine SLR01 - Gallery
- BMC Racing secure future beyond 2016
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