Richie Porte was expected to line-up at the start of the 2014 edition of the Giro d’Italia as one of the biggest title contenders, but instead the 29-year old Australian experienced a spring to forget as an illness forced him to withdraw respectively from Tirreno-Adriatico, Volta a Catalunya, Tour de Romandie and eventually from the Italian grand tour.

 

In such circumstances, Team Sky entered the season’s first three-week event with a highly experimental squad, but none of the riders suddenly provided with a chance to play a bigger than a domestique role were ready to make a good use of such opportunity. While Cima Coppi prize won by Dario Cataldo and impressive performance of the younger of Henao cousins were so far biggest highlights of British squad’s appearance in what was supposed to be Porte’s victorious Giro, the 29-year Australian were given a time and trust by the team to bounce back from earlier setbacks and rebuild his condition towards the Tour de France.

 

Porte was an essential part of Froome’s victorious campaign in the French grand tour last season, and since Sergio Henao’s participation in the event was dubious due to his suspicious hematocrit values, it has become even more clear that Team Sky leader would need the 29-year old Tasmanian-born rider fit and ready to support him in the mountains again.

 

Thus, the former Paris-Nice winner spent last weeks training at altitude in Tenerife alongside Froome, and he claimed to finally have overcome the illness which hampered him whole spring.

 

“After Tirreno I was properly sick and then I got a cold and a few other things as well,” Porte told Cycling Weekly from altitude. “I turned up to Catalunya and that’s when I knew it wasn’t going to happen. There was no way I was going to be as good as I could be in May.

 

“I’m getting much better now, which is good,” he continued. “I have been a sick young man the past few months. I’ll have another blood test when I get down from altitude but the way I’m feeling now I think I’m definitely through it and I’ll be fresh for the Tour.”

 

Known mainly as Froome’s selfless domestique, Porte has quickly forgotten about his personal ambitions and turned his attention into helping the Kenyan-born rider winning Team Sky’s third consecutive Tour de France title without any complains. However, British team’s coach Rod Ellingworth emphasized that leadership at the Giro d’Italia wasn’t a one-time offer for the Tasmanian as he is regarded much more than just as domestique, however, it is yet to be decided whether the second chance would arrive this season.

 

“I have actually thought about it but then I think back to 2012 also where I went from the Tour to the Vuelta,” Porte said. The former Paris-Nice champion finished the Tour 34th overall that year with Sky and was eighth in the mountains classification at the Vuelta in what was a long season.

 

“At this point in time I’m not looking that much past the Tour de France but also I haven’t raced that much this year so I might be a little bit fresher coming out of it. It’s always an option,” he continued.

 

Porte was honest enough to admit that it would be a dream for him to ride the Tour for himself if anything unexpected happened, however, as long as he is aware that it’s all for Froome in the French grand tour, he expressed his hope to be provided with just another opportunity to lead the British squad in a three-week event in months to come

 

“That would be a dream but I know we’re going there for Chris and that makes sense,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the Tour. We’ve got a good team so hopefully I won’t have to sacrifice until a little bit later this year.”