Chris Froome on Richie Porte's retirement - "My only message would be to enjoy your retirement. ‘You've deserved it. No more suffering"

The Tour of Britain is the last event before Richie Porte retires from cycling. His former teammate Chris Froome paid tribute to his friend and wishes him well for his future journey.

Earlier this week, Porte announced the end of his 13-year-long career.“It's going to be quite sad not seeing Richie in the peloton anymore,” Froome told Eurosport. He continues, “He's been such a big part of the Grand Tours, especially over the last decade.”

Froome's victory in the 2013 and 2015 Tour de France was heavily influenced by Porte, who played a key role as a domestique. “For me personally, he was an amazing team-mate to me through all the big tours that I was winning,” said Froome. They both parted ways and went on their own journey but kept in contact. “But more than that, he's a good friend as well. He is just a good person who always says exactly how he's feeling.

Every good thing has to end sometime, and Froome understands this. He wished Porte the best for the future. “You know where you stand with Richie, and I will definitely miss seeing him around in the peloton. My only message would be to enjoy your retirement. ‘You've deserved it. No more suffering. He's got a lot to be proud of. So I think he can definitely enjoy himself a little bit now,” concluded Froome.