Porte playing catch-up again after another opening stage setback
By Rupert Guinness
FONTENAY-LE-COMTE: Richie Porte would have been more than justified to be fuming after losing precious time in a helter-skelter first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, especially in light of how his Tour last year ended with him crashing out on stage nine.
Porte’s frustration was still painstakingly clear. As he arrived on his bike at his BMC team bus, dismounted and took the first step inside, he was asked by his team’s media director for a comment.
“I don’t want to talk about it," he said, then disappeared into the shaded confines of the bus to absorb it all.
To be fair, Porte’s reaction so soon after the 201km first stage from Noirmoutier-en-Île to Fontenay-Le-Comte in the Vendée, raced in hot conditions, was understandable.
And to his credit, Porte emerged from the bus 10 minutes later showered and dressed in clean, casual team gear and spoke of the drama-filled first day.
The stage ended with Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) winning from Slovakian world champion Peter Sagan (BORA-Hansgrohe) and German Marcel Kittel (Katusha) in a bunch sprint. Australian Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) was seventh.
But the main issue was what happened behind them and the yellow leader’s jersey that Gaviria claimed.
It was fallout that heavily affected Porte. The Tasmanian was one of a number of overall Tour favourites who unexpectedly lost time – in his case 51 seconds – after being caught behind defending Tour champion Chris Froome’s (Sky) crash with five kilometres to go. Froome finished in 91st place on the same time as Porte, who led their 20-strong group across the finish for 83rd place. Briton Adam Yates, of the Australian Mitchelton-Scott team, was in 84th position.
Meanwhile, further behind at 1 minutes and 15 seconds to Gaviria and 24 seconds after Porte, came Colombian contenders Nairo Quintana (Movistar), who lost contact when he stopped after damaging both wheels riding over a traffic island, and emerging star Egan Bernal (Sky), who had crashed before Froome spectacularly rode off to the right of the road and into a field.
Porte’s consolation was that other rivals lost time, and that he escaped crashing and finished physically unscathed. But his anguish was knowing that other rivals finished ahead and at the same time as Gaviria.
In that mix were Denmark’s Jacob Fuglsang (Astana) in 9th place, Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Team Bahrain, 11th), Welshman Geraint Thomas (Sky, 14th), Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb, 27th), Spaniard Mikel Landa (Movistar, 32nd), Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale, 34th) , Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar, 38th), Colombian Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First-Drapac, 44th) and Ireland’s Dan Martin (United Arab Emirates, 52nd).
“It was pretty nervous there. It is not ideal, but I think Quintana has probably lost more, Froomey was there, Yates was there … it’s the Tour,” said Porte.
Porte said that he was “pretty close” to Froome’s crash.
“I don’t really know what happened. It was just one of those things … One minute it is all okay, and the next thing, there is a crash in front, and there were a few more crashes on the way in,” he said.
Asked if he saw some consolation in other rivals losing time, Porte said: “Yeah, there were other guys there worse off than me.
“But it’s the first day of the Tour. It’s not ideal, but it’s a long way. And it is just nice to finally start the race.”
The situation is one Porte has been in before. In the 2016 Tour, he lost one minute 45 seconds on stage 2 due to a flat tire in the last five kilometres. He responded well and, despite losing more time on stage 19 on Mont Ventoux when he rode into the back of a television motor bike that suddenly stopped due to massive crowds, still finished fifth at five minutes 17 seconds to a victorious Froome.
Asked if how his response to his stage two setback in 2016 is something he can draw strength on now, Porte replied: “Yes."
“It definitely swings and roundabouts, this race. Guys took time today, but who’s to say the same doesn’t happen to them tomorrow.
“It’s a shame … but we will see how the next days go.”
Sunday: Stage 2 – Mouilleron-Saint-Germain to La Roche-Sur-Yon, 182.5km: Stage one will provide a form guide for what to expect in this second stage, which follows an anti-clockwise land route that should again end in a bunch sprint. Apart from a fourth category climb early, the stage is again mostly flat and offers Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) a chance to exert authority and defend the yellow jersey, or for those who he beat to get their own back.
Monday: Stage 3 – Cholet Team Time Trial, 35.5km: Huge stage for the overall contenders. Firstly, for those riders whose teams are strong in the team time trial like Team Sunweb (Dumoulin), and especially BMC (Porte), Sky (Froome) and Mitchelton-Scott (Yates) who must make time after Saturday’s stage. It is also be crucial for teams that not strong in the discipline like Astana (Fuglsang), UAE (Nibali), Ag2r (Bardet) that need to minimise losses, or in the case of Movistar, help Quintana get lost time back.