FIRST SHOTS

Richie Porte questions strength of Tour rivals

TOUR de France favourite Richie Porte has raised doubts over Team Sky’s supremacy, suggesting the all-conquering British squad may be a fading force.

Porte this month was left without teammates and used as a punching bag by rivals on a punishing final day of the Criterium du Dauphine that cost him victory. In the aftermath there was criticism of his BMC team and debate over whether it can defend a yellow jersey at the Tour de France.

The Tasmanian admitted there were question marks over his squad, but said the same applied to defending Tour champion Chris Froome and Sky.

“I think the Dauphine showed Chris (Froome) was not at the same level as he was at the same time last year. He’s got two weeks to turn that around before the Tour so who knows?” Porte said of his former Sky teammate.

“I expect he’s going to come to the Tour at another level to what he was, but also, people question the strength of my team, but I also question the strength of his team.

“I know that wasn’t his Tour de France team, but there wasn’t the normal Sky, who with 20 guys left on a climb they have five or six of them.

“They didn't have that; they had three guys left. I suppose that’s another question that’s going to be answered come July.”

Porte was superbly guided by his teammates on the Dauphine’s Stage 7 to Alpe d’Huez and took a stranglehold of the race.

But the next day he was left isolated only 25km into an explosive Stage 8.

“I think the guys on the Saturday stage to Alpe d’Huez were incredible, they did a fantastic job and I was super chuffed,” Porte said.

“But it was an eight-day race, not a seven-day race, so I think it’s definitely a valid question. There should have been at least one guy with me.

“But maybe they were tired from the super job they did the day before.

“The Tour is different though. Tactically there’s always going to be a team that rides for the stage or there’s always teams who want to defend their position on general classification because it’s the biggest bike race in the world.”

BMC’s Italian climber Damiano Caruso rode the Tour de Suisse instead of the Dauphine and finished second. But BMC last week confirmed Porte’s chief lieutenant was in a Tour squad “going all in for Richie”, according to BMC sports director Fabio Baldato.

Irishman Nico Roche will also be crucial, but the team has nowhere near the firepower of Team Sky in the high mountains.

Froome, winless this year, has been surrounded by a super team of support riders, six of whom have finished top-20 in the race.

Mikel Landa, Geraint Thomas, Mikel Nieve and Sergio Henao will sacrifice themselves for Britain’s three-time winner.