Richie Porte: Here Is Everything To Know About The Pro Cyclist
For some, cycling is just another sport, hobby, or activity that serves to create a bond between a team or people who want to be a team player. But for Richie Porte, his whole life and everything we know about him revolves around the bicycle. Here is everything you need to know about this man who has successfully done what he likes to do.
Richie Porte – Everything To Know About The Pro Cyclist
Richie Porte, whose star sign is Aquarius, was born on 30 January 1985 as one of four children of Ian and Penny Porte, who raised them in their home in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. His siblings include two older brothers, Nick and Keiran, and a younger brother named Tom.
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Porte had a normal childhood growing up in his parents’ house. He played sports, like most children his age. The young lad was a good runner and swimmer and was also good at throwing punches. Of the three he was known for at the time, Richie Porte was more involved with swimming at his school, St. Patrick’s College near the town of Hadspen, Launceston.
As a teenager he became a triathlete of sorts; he worked as a lifeguard on the pool shift, as a courier for car parts, or as a referee in the Tasmanian football league, which meant he ran the length of the pitch to follow the direction of the game, which also meant running training for him.
Richie Porte Career Begining
Richie Porte was still an active triathlete when he competed in his first bike race in 2005 in his early 20s. He competed in the C-D category and won every stage of the competition including the $350 prize money.
After giving up the triathlon, he competed again in 2006 and finished third in the Tasmanian race from Longford to Campbelltown. In that race, his performance caught the attention of Andrew Christie-Johnston, who invited him to join the Canberra Tour.
Move To Europe
The Tasmanian knew right from the start that cycling in Europe was a big deal and he had to leave his comfort zone in Australia if he wanted you and so many others to read about him as you do now. With the encouragement of his mentor Andrew and his parents, Richie took a step towards Europe, with Italy as his destination in mid-2007.
His arrival in Europe caught the attention of the cycling community by winning his first race. Subsequently, Richie was invited to join the amateur team Monsummanese Bedogni Grassi, which eventually became a foreign family for the Australians.
Injury
His impressive performance in Italy with his new team was not one that would go smoothly. Richie Porte suffered a hip fracture in a fall, which left him on the sidelines for some time.
Nonetheless, the former triathlete reunited with the Praties to compete in the 2008 Tour of Tasmania, where he proved himself by winning a stage and the overall title. This victory marked Richie’s comeback in Europe, where he made a high-profile appearance in races such as the Giro Baby, where he finished ninth in the overall classification and time trial.
Teams And Laurels
Richie Porte was a member of the UniSA Australia team at the Tour Down Under 2008, where he finished ninth overall. In the second half of 2008 and for much of 2009 he was on the Tasmanian UCI continental team Praties when he finished fifth on the 2008 Herald Sun Tour and won the Perth and Tasmania tours. After moving to Europe, Richie joined the Italian amateur team Monsummanese Grassi Mapei.
After his impressive performance, professional teams like Team Saxo Bank showed interest in him. Richie joined the Banks in 2010, and in April of the same year, he won the time trial in stage four of the Tour de Romandie, finishing tenth overall. He won the Young Rider classification with a lead of 7′ 29? over Robert Kišerlovski in his debut at the Giro d’Italia, where he finished seventh overall and made a name for himself as the rider of the future.
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Richie remained with Team Saxo Bank until 2015, where he won a number of events including the 1st MaillotAustralia.PNG time trial, the National Road Championships, the 1st overall Volta a Catalunya, the 1st World Championship, the 1st World Championship of the Year, and the 1st World Championship of the Year.
He joined BMC in 2016 and his performance has not fallen short of expectations. He won the 5th consecutive stage to Willunga Hill in the Tour Down Under for the third year running. In 2017 he won the 1st jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Romandie, the 1st jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Suisse in 2018 along with several other laurels.
Richie Porte Family Life
An Australian professional cyclist is a married man. He has been married to Gemma Nicole Porte since 2015, having met her four years earlier. They both share a child together, the first one that their union has produced.
Body Stats
Richie is 171 cm (5 feet 7 inches) tall. At this height, the cyclist weighs 63.5 kg or 140 lbs. His chest, biceps, and waist circumferences are not currently available, but like most others in his profession, Richie Porte has a slim build.
