Richie grabs top honour
Standout Tour de France earns Porte cycling gong
TASMANIAN Richie Porte has been named Australian cyclist of the year, on the back of becoming just the second Australian to finish on the final podium at the Tour de France.
Porte, who also won the 2020 Tour Down Under, won his first Sir Hubert “Oppy” Opperman medal on Wednesday, joining a list which includes Australia’s only Tour de France winner, Cadel Evans.
The 36-year-old said it was a “privilege and an honour” to join the greatest cyclists Australia has produced.
“It has been something I have always wanted to do, so to take it out finally, it is of great satisfaction,” Porte said.
“When you look at the future of Australian cycling, there are so many good riders coming through.
“So, to have my name up there now alongside cyclists like Cadel Evans, Rohan Dennis, Mat Hayman and Caroline Buchanan, it is a privilege and honour, so thank you to everybody.”
Porte opened the COVID-19-affected 2020 season with victory in the Tour Down Under and returned to Europe to continue the WorldTour season, before it was postponed in March.
Then in his 10th Tour de France appearance, Porte overcame a two-minute deficit on the penultimate stage to ride on to the podium, finishing in third place overall behind Tadej Pogacar.
He joined 2011 Tour champion Evans as the only Australians to finish the Tour de France on the final podium.
“As much as last year was about finally making that step on to the podium in the Tour de France, to have won the Tour Down Under in front the great Australian fans in Adelaide was absolutely brilliant,” Porte said.
“Also, thank you to all the Australian fans who stayed up until the wee hours watching the Tour and hopefully see you back on the roadside in 2021 supporting us.”