Richie Porte: Here Is Everything To Know About The Pro Cyclist

Quick Facts

To some, cycling is just another sport, a hobby or an activity used to create a bond between a team or people desirous of team bonding. But to Richie Porte, his whole life and the gamut of all we know about him revolve around the two-wheeler. Here is everything to know about this man who has been successful in doing what he loves doing.

Richie Porte – Everything To Know About The Pro Cyclist

With his zodiac sign being Aquarius, Richie Porte was born to Ian and Penny Porte on the 30th of January 1985 as one of four children they nurtured in their Launceston, Tasmania  Australia home. His siblings include two elder brothers, Nick and Keiran, and one younger brother named Tom.

Porte had a normal childhood growing up in his parents’ home. He took to sports like most kids of his age would. The young lad was a good runner, swimmer, and was good at throwing punches too. Out of the three for which he was known for then, Richie Porte was more involved with swimming at his school; St Patrick’s College near the town of Hadspen, Launceston.

In his teens, he became a triathlete of some sort; working as a lifeguard on shifts at the pool, a vehicle spare parts courier or in the Tasmanian football league as an umpire which meant him running the length of the gridiron to follow the direction of play which effectively doubled as running training for him.

Career Begining

Richie Porte was still an active triathlete when he lined up for his first bicycle race in 2005 in his early 20s. He entered the competition in the C-D category and won every stage of the competition including the $350 prize money.

He competed again in 2006 after quitting triathlon and came third in the Tasmanian race from Longford to Campbelltown. It was at this race that his performance caught the attention of Andrew Christie-Johnston who extended an invitation for him to be on the Canberra Tour.

Move To Europe

The Tasmanian knew right from the onset that cycling was a big deal in Europe and he had to leave his comfort zone in Australia if he wanted you and so many others to be reading about him just as you are doing now. With encouragement from his mentor Andrew and his parents, Richie made a move for Europe with Italy being his destination in mid-2007.

His arrival in Europe caught the attention of the cycling community with the winning of his first race. Richie was subsequently invited to join the Monsummanese Bedogni Grassi amateur team, which ended up being a family away from home for the Australian.

Injury

His impressive performance in Italy with his new team was not one that would go on smoothly without hitches. Richie Porte got a fractured hip in a crash which saw him being sidelined for some time.

Nevertheless, the former triathlete reunited with the Praties to race in the 2008 Tour of Tasmania, in which he proved his worth by winning a stage and the overall title. On this winning note, Richie made a comeback to Europe placing highly in races like the Giro Baby, where he won ninth overall and won the time trial.

Teams And Laurels

Richie Porte was a member of the UniSA–Australia team in the 2008 Tour Down Under where he finished ninth overall. In the latter part of 2008 and much of 2009, he was with the Tasmanian UCI Continental team, Praties when he finished fifth in the 2008 Herald Sun Tour and won the Tours of Perth and Tasmania. After his move to Europe, Richie teamed up with the Monsummanese Grassi Mapei amateur Italian team.

Following his impressive performance, he had professional teams like Team Saxo Bank showing interest in him. Richie joined the Banks in 2010 and by April of the same year, he won the stage four time trial at the Tour de Romandie, finishing in tenth place overall. He won the young rider classification, by a margin of 7′ 29″ over Robert Kišerlovski at his debut in the Giro d’Italia where he finished seventh overall and made himself known as the rider of the future.

Richie stayed on with Team Saxo Bank till 2015 recording several firsts which include 1st MaillotAustralia.PNG Time trial, National Road Championships, 1st General classification Overall Volta a Catalunya, 1st Jersey violet.svg Overall Giro del Trentino, and 1st Jersey blue.svg Mountains classification etc.

He joined BMC in 2016 and his performance hasn’t been short of expectations. He won for the third time in a row Stage 5 to Willunga Hill in Tour Down Under. In 2017, he won 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Romandie, 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Suisse in 2018 with several other laurels.

Family Life

The Australian pro 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 which is the first their union has produced.

Body Stats

Richie has a height of 5 feet 7 inches (about 171 cm). With this height, the cyclist weighs 63.5 kg or 140 lbs. His chest, biceps, and waist measurement are not available at the moment, but like most others in his line of profession, Richie Porte has a slim body physique.

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