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Cycling: Tour de France starts now, says Team Sky rider Richie Porte

By Allsports.com.gh
Cycling Cycling: Tour de France starts now, says Team Sky rider Richie Porte
JUL 12, 2014 LISTEN

Matteo Trentin of Omega Pharma-Quick Step claimed stage honours just millimetres ahead of Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol), but Australia's Porte made significant inroads during the 234.5-kilometre trek from Epernay to Nancy.

Porte, Sky's leading rider in the absence of injured defending champion Chris Froome, was well supported by his team-mates as he moved up to seventh in the general classification standings, one minute and 54 seconds adrift of overall leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

Speaking after safely navigating his way through the second-longest stage of the Tour, a relieved Porte said Saturday's hilly route from Tomblaine to Gerardmer La Mauselaine was the start of his quest for the yellow jersey.

"It was such a long, stressful day," he said. "It might have looked easy on TV but it definitely wasn't.

"I'm happy to have got that day done, and happy that the crosswinds didn't materialise.

"Those transition stages are arguably the most difficult ones in the Tour and we saw Andrew Talansky and Tejay van Garderen both crash today. Thank God for my team-mates though, and especially Bernhard Eisel. He had me in his pocket all day and looked after me brilliantly.

"I think tomorrow, the Tour starts.
"This is a big opportunity for me and I'm going to fight every day."

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