Porte on Carapaz' Giro ambitions : "As long as I’m there to help him, that’s all I need to focus on"

After a strong start to the season, which has seen him finish Tirreno-Adriatico in fourth place and Tour of the Alps in seventh, Richie Porte will now eye the Giro d'Italia where he is set to be in a domestique role for Richard Carapaz who headlines the INEOS Grenadiers team.

In a blog in collaboration with VeloNews, Porte has talked about the chaos that are the days leading up to the start of a Grand Tour: "The build up to a grand tour is always a taxing affair, especially the closer we get to the start. These are long days with health checks, press conferences, and lots of last-minute calls that you don’t really factor in when it comes to your agenda."

He's also mentioned some of the behind the scenes, of which the audience knows little about: "Then there’s the Whatsapp groups. We have the riders’ Giro one which is mostly full of gear talk during the race. We talk about what wheels we’re going to ride, clothing, and things like that. Then we have the Ineos chat which shares logistical information like rooming lists and departure times for each day," the Tasmanian climber shared.

Porte is starting the final Grand Tour of his career. One of the most successful stage-racers of the last decade, he's had brilliant years with INEOS Grenadiers and the late BMC Racing Team. He will close a cycle here, in the same Grand Tour that has had him come out to the World as a stage-racer back in 2010.

"Perhaps just as importantly, I feel like I’m in a really good spot mentally heading into the race. The team has done a really good job at shielding me, too," Porte added. " I came back to this team at the start of 2021 in order to ease some of the stress and pressure that can build up as a pro rider, and I’ve had that in the past at grand tours."

INEOS, and Porte, will be protecting Richard Carapaz as the Ecuadorian seeks a second Giro d'Italia triumph this month, and Porte is happy with the role he's gotten in support: "Richard Carapaz has put his hand up when it comes to being the big leader, so as long as I’m there to help him, that’s all I need to focus on. That means I can just focus on my job, and help someone win."