As his Team Sky teammates prepared for a easy rest day ride in Madonna di Campiglio, Richie Porte quietly said his goodbyes and headed home from the Giro d’Italia, after his hopes of overall victory were dashed by a two-minute penalty for a wheel change, crashes and pain in his knee and hip.
Team Sky entrusted Porte with team leadership for the Giro d’Italia and he seemed on track to challenge Alberto Contador and Fabio Aru after convincing winning Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro del Trentino. He rode intelligently in the first half of the race as Astana and Tinkoff-Saxo fought tooth and nail but then his overall hopes took a body blow on stage 10 to Forli, when race commissaires hit him with a two-minute penalty.
The penalty was a mental blow and hurt Porte’s morale. A physical blow came on stage 13 to Jesolo, when he was caught up in a pile-up with 3.3km to go. He hurt his knee and his hip and lost a further two minutes. He lost a further four minutes as he suffered in the time trial. The mountain stage to Madonna di Campiglio saw him suffer even further, as he finished the stage in a gruppetto at 27 minutes.
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“I guess that’s cycling. It’s a cruel sport. Instead of fighting into the final week, I’m on my way home,” Porte told Cyclingnews before leaving the Giro d’Italia, accepting to talk one last time despite his huge disappointment.
“It’s a strange thing mentally, to be so motivated for this race, to have come into it in great form and suddenly to find myself about to head home. I guess I’ll have to ride my bike in the not too distant future but it’s a hard one.”
Team Sky announced that the medical staff took the decision to withdraw Porte from the Giro. He told Cyclingnews he will travel to Manchester for a full diagnosis and treatment on his injuries. He revealed he was in pain as he fought to finish Sunday’s stage to Madonna di Campiglio.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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