Porte hopes for return by season’s end

RICHIE Porte hopes to return to racing before the end of the season after seeing his Tour de France bid ended in a high-speed crash on Sunday.

Porte suffered a fractured collarbone and pelvis when he slid into an embankment on the technical descent of the Mont du Chat, late on stage nine from Nantua to Chambery.

Porte was put into a neck brace at the side of the road before being taken to hospital in Chambery, where he has remained as the Tour moved west to the Dordogne for the first rest day yesterday.

At the start of the Tour, the Australian was seen as the man most likely to end two-time defending champion Chris Froome’s run of dominance, having looked in the form of his life over the first part of the season.

“Obviously, I’ve felt much better than what I do right now,” Porte said.

“I’m in a fair bit of pain and it’s a big disappointment to be honest. I think I was in great form and the team were really strong around me too, so it’s disappointing. However, I think after seeing the crash I’m lucky that I have come away with the injuries I have.”

BMC expect Porte to spend a minimum of four to six weeks off the bike, but the 32-year-old wants to race again this season.

“I don’t think I’ll be back on my bike for a good while now,” he said. “I think the team is good with that. They just say to recover, there is no rush to come back.

“Hopefully, I’ll pull the BMC Racing team jersey on by the end of the year.”

Porte went down when he rode over grass on the inside of a corner, then hit the deck and slid across the road into an embankment, collecting Irishman Dan Martin as he went.