Richie Porte prepared for the biggest race of his life by securing his immediate cycling future.
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The Tasmanian and his WorldTour employer Team BMC chose their pre-Tour de France press conference to announce he had signed a new contract.
BMC said in keeping with team policy no details of the contract would be released but Porte’s previous lucrative deal was for two years.
Porte joined BMC in 2016 and has since recorded WorldTour wins at the Tour Down Under and Tour de Romandie, five stage wins and fifth place overall at last year’s Tour de France.
"I have really enjoyed my first two years with BMC so it was a natural decision to extend my contract,” the 32-year-old said.
“We are on the eve of the biggest race of the year, and my biggest goal of the season, and I feel at home with my teammates and the management and staff.
“I have raced with a few teams throughout the years and I definitely think BMC is the right fit at this point in my career as I try to win the Tour de France. I like the atmosphere and the way BMC operates, so I am sure this is where I want to be.
"I've had a great first half of the season and I think my results are a reflection of the way the team has created a really good training and racing environment for me. Things like having training camps at home in Monaco and building a core group of teammates around me from the first race of the year in Australia have really helped me.
“Whatever happens over the next three weeks, I'm looking forward to keeping the BMC Racing Team jersey on my back beyond the end of the season."
General manager Jim Ochowicz said it was an easy decision to re-sign .
"Since joining BMC Racing Team last year, Richie Porte has developed into our outright general classification leader,” he said.
“Richie's skill set and results speak for themselves and are in line with the team's goals and objectives throughout the season. In just over a year, Richie has become an integral part of this organization and it a pleasure to extend his contract."
"I think any team would be thrilled to have a rider of Richie's calibre in their ranks.
We have the most important race of the year ahead of us and we felt it was the right moment to re-sign Richie so that his full concentration can be on the Tour de France."