Tasmania’s two WorldTour cyclists are riding into the unknown.
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Richie Porte has resumed training in Monaco after sustaining serious injuries at the Tour de France while Will Clarke is competing in the Tour of Spain unaware whether he will return to such heights next season.
Both 32 and products of Andrew Christie-Johnston’s Hobart-based development team, the long-time friends enjoyed riding against each other at the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland earlier this year but face contrasting paths to next season.
“I’m over the worst of it,” said Porte, the BMC Team leader whose Tour de France disappointment followed a similarly horrific crash at last year’s Olympic Games.
“Every now and then I still feel some pain in the collarbone and elbow, when I hit a bump in the road for example. But, in general my recovery is on track.”
In what must feel like deja vu for Clarke, the Campbell Town powerhouse’s team has flagged an uncertain future following the loss of a major sponsor.
Cannondale-Drapac’s riders and staff have been notified “of the uncertainty of our organisation’s future” after management received “discouraging news” about a new partner.
A team statement added: “Without this partner’s support, we cannot guarantee our financial security and subsequently our UCI WorldTour licence for 2017.
“Without additional financial backing, the numbers simply don’t add up.”
Clarke told The Examiner he was confident the situation will get resolved.
I'm over the worst of it
- Richie Porte
“I can’t really say much at the moment but that I hope they can fill the sponsorship gap so I can still race next year,” he said.
“I don’t really know any details [but] I think it will be all worked out.”
Clarke is in his third stint at the sport’s elite level having been squeezed out twice before.
In 2011 he rode with Leopard-Trek alongside such distinguished names as Frank and Andy Schleck, Jens Voigt, Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O’Grady but dropped down to pro-continental racing with Champion System in 2012 after failing to get a renewed contract.
Achieving his career-best result with a solo breakaway stage win at the 2012 Tour Down Under, Clarke bounced back to the WorldTour in 2013 with Argos-Shimano before returning to the pro-continental ranks for three years with Drapac.
After several stage victories he again rejoined the top flight when the team became Cannondale-Drapac and secured a WorldTour licence.
The resilient rider achieved his long-held ambition of competing in a Grand Tour when he joined the Vuelta a Espana and is sitting 160th overall after being the last rider to finish the 165km tenth stage.
“It’s been good so far,” he said. “I didn’t have the best start with 10 stitches in my hand from a crash in Colorado the week before but that’s slowly on the mend.
“My arm and hip are a bit swollen, with stitches in my knuckle. It’s not ideal, but as a bike rider, I think we all have these moments, and you become stronger by pushing through them.”
“Personally, I would like to get in some breakaways and be active in the race to support my teammates. I think as a team we are fully capable of stage wins, so coming away with that is the aim.”
Further around the Mediterranean, Porte is returning after a significant block of rehabilitation following his broken collarbone and elbow in a horrific 70km/h crash towards the end of stage 9 of Le Tour in July.
“I’m feeling good,” he said in a team statement this week.
“Obviously, the collarbone takes a little longer to recover and my elbow flared up a bit but hopefully that’s nothing too serious.
“I started back on the trainers two weeks ago and last Monday I went back on the road for the first time. I’ve been riding every day and managing a light two to three hours.
“Of course, I’ve lost a lot of fitness and I’m getting passed on the road but it’s nice to get the encouragement as they go by. At this stage, I’m still focusing on making a full recovery and we’ll decide down the track whether I race again this year or if a solid block of training is what I need to recover best.”
BMC chief medical officer Max Testa said Porte’s recovery is on track.
“Richie is improving very well,” he said. “He has limited discomfort in his shoulder but the hip is not bothering him at all. We will continue to monitor his training and form over the coming weeks and then determine if Richie can line up at a race before the season ends. The goal is to see Richie pin a number on his back again before the off season.”
Porte was just 39 seconds behind eventual race winner Chris Froome when the crash happened having won the Tour Down Under and Tour de Romandie and taken stage wins at Paris-Nice and Critérium du Dauphiné earlier in the season.