Richie Porte has certainly come a long way since 2008 when he first started racing at the Santos Festival. His determination and motivation were sky high, this is the same case after fourteen years, this year Porte will be retiring but his performance will be made immortal in the history books. In 2008, he won the races at the festival and this time, he will be riding on the roads of Australia again, to leave behind a phenomenal legacy.
Porte is seemingly on a mission this time, he is riding with Team Garmin Australia again and will be mentoring the generation of cyclists. He will also be retiring at the end of this cycling season, but he plans to make this last season enjoyable. He has goals and wants to enjoy his time, one of his ambitions is to ascend to the top of Willunga Hill, exciting times are definitely ahead.
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Richie Porte has enjoyed a very good time with both Ineos Grenadiers and Team Garmin Australia, he has also made some unforgettable bonds during his tenure. In the above social media post, Porte can be seen enjoying his time with fellow team member Rohan Dennis, he also wished him the best of luck for all future endeavors.
Speaking at a media conference, Richie Porte stated,
I want to enjoy it. Adelaide has been very kind to me over the years. It’s probably my favorite race on the calendar and it’s just great to get here.
It’s a shame it’s not a WorldTour event, but it’s a great opportunity for the young Aussie kids to show what they’re made of and test themselves against guys like Rohan Dennis and Luke Durbridge and Plappy [Luke Plapp]. You know, there are some class bike riders here and it’s always good to see where the Aussie boys are at.
Porte is known for his generosity, he often helps his teammates and friends be the main center of attention. A really good example of this gesture is from 2021 when Plapp won the iconic race of Willunga Hill. This was Plapp’s seventh iconic win and this season, he will be joining with Porte, but Porte will be offering a mentor role to a team of first-year U23 and U19 riders.
Back in his prime, Porte showed masterful skills and techniques. During the GC, Porte finished at the ninth position. He even left the current race director Stuart O’Grady one spot behind, that was truly some impressive performance back then. It seems almost unreal that this will be the last that we will be seeing of Porte in the field.
Richie Porte stated,
This race is really where it all started for me. I made the wildcard selection in 2008 and got the gig here, and I’ve absolutely loved this race. Willunga has been a bit of a stomping ground for me.
In some ways, it’d be nice to have a bit of a gallop up there, but let’s see what happens. I mean, we have a young team and it’s probably on us to try and pull it back together but if it doesn’t happen, if it’s not all up and the break is going to take the stage, it would also be nice to slip out the back and enjoy it, you know? I’ve never been able to enjoy it before, so that would be a nice feeling as well.
The Santos Festival of Cycling (Men’s Division) started heating up on Thursday. The race series is scheduled to finish on Saturday at the top of Willunga Hill. We are beyond excited to witness Richie Porte’s performance and how his legacy shapes up.
Featured Image Via Instagram/richie_porte
