Richie Porte prizes all of his five Willunga wins.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It’s the Tour Down Under stage that’s made of legends.
But it’s that successive fifth of his stage five ochre jersey victories that was toughest.
“I tell you what that was the hardest one to win so far,” a relieved Porte said.
“I think it was such a hard lead in there at the bottom when Education First (team) put it into the gutter.
“I felt great and the guys looked after me all day, but it hurt so much.
“We talked about it this morning with guys like Simon Gerrans – he has been a fantastic addition to our team. I couldn’t look back – I just had to go.
“Of course, you look back a bit and I could see that Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe) was strong to start with.
“I think this stage is much better for me than it is for him, so I just stuck in.”
Porte hitting the front heading to the finish line just had cycling fans nodding their heads in anticipation.
But the Launceston champion was quick to point out that nothing is ever certain when it comes to road racing.
This extends to his unlikely chances of defending the crown, missing out by an agonising one second for the favourable tour lead.
“I must admit with 300 metres to go, I almost stopped – maybe I went a bit too hard,” Porte said.
“Last year winning with the ochre jersey was special, but this is up there as one of the most special too.”
Porte also said the climb was not what it usually is.
The conditions have taken its toll on not just the field, but the mortal 32-year-old.
“It’s probably the hardest time that I have done this climb – it really hurt today,” he said. “There were just guys in the gravel and it was absolute carnage.
“You also can’t say it was unexpected – it’s what happens every year.”
The expected stage win was his first since the infamous Tour de France crash that dashed state hopes.
The magnitude of it all was not lost on Porte.
“It has been a tough time. It was a nasty crash and it knocked me around, but I can have the best season and I’m just motivated,” he said.
“I worked hard back in Tasmania and did some fantastic training so I am super motivated for this season.”