After 12 years as a pro, the 34-year-old's body is a testament to the horrific dangers of his profession.

"I've got scars all over me," the Launceston rider said.

"I'm not a tattoo fan but I've certainly got plenty of road rash all over me to look at.

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"I reckon 30 years from now when I'm swimming or taking a shower somewhere people will still see the scars and stare and wonder what I've done to myself."

This weekend, Porte will embark on his ninth Tour de France, hoping to improve on the last two years when he twice crashed out sustaining major injuries on the ninth stages.

He said he sees the legacy of his infamous 2017 high-speed crash on the Mont du Chat, which left him with a fractured collarbone and hip, every time he looks in the mirror.

"I can still see evidence of it on my elbow and there are some nasty scars on my back and on the left side of my stomach - which actually matches one on the right side of my stomach from a crash in Italy.

"On my knees and hips there is scar tissue everywhere, there's so many of them.

"I look at them and I can remember where each one came from.

"I guess being covered in scars is just part of cycling."

Porte said this year appears to have witnessed even more crashes than normal, ranging from his fellow Tasmanians Will Clarke and Nathan Earle to former Tour de France winners Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.

"This season just seems to have seen so many bad accidents in the peloton. It's been awful.

"I'm happy that I'm more towards the end of my career because it seems to get more dangerous each year and there is certainly more pressure from teams."

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