The road to Tour de France glory doesn't start at the Tour Down Under but nevertheless Richie Porte (BMC Racing) laid down the perfect opening season marker with two stage wins and the overall in Adelaide. Chris Froome, Alberto Contador Nairo Quintana et al will not be quaking in their boots just yet but they will have taken stock of Porte's performance.
The BMC Racing leader has been a threat at the Tour Down Under for a number of years but on this outing he displayed a ruthlessness not always seen in the past. Again, this was not the same opposition he will face in July, but the BMC hierarchy will feel a little more vindicated for splitting Porte and Tejay Van Garderen so early in the season.
"I'm coming into my prime and I realise that I don't have too many more opportunities to have a go at the Tour so I'm going to make the most of that," Porte stressed during his winner's press conference.
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Thirty-two later this month, Porte has only had one genuine tilt at the Tour de France during his career, taking a top-five place last year in Paris. Until that point he had ridden as the last man for Alberto Contador and then Chris Froome and although the 2015 Giro d'Italia was a disaster, Porte is slowing improving as a podium contender at the very least.
"I don't really have a problem with that," he responded when asked if his January will make him a marked man when he returns to Europe.
"My next race is Paris Nice and I love that race. It's my adopted home race but I'm okay with that pressure. It's just in the media that people said that I was the favourite here and it never really got to me. I feel like I'm growing up, slowly as well."
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