Richie Porte: The teams I could have raced for
The Australian tells us why he wanted to race for FDJ and AG2R and ponders why Patrick Lefevere never signed him
Kicking off a new series, I’m talking to riders and ex-riders about teams they almost or could have signed for during their careers. First up, we have Richie Porte. The Australian had a stellar career, racing for Team Sky, Saxo Bank, Ineos, Trek-Segafredo and BMC Racing. Here, in his own words, is Richie.
If I cast my mind back to when I turned pro in 2010 with Saxo Bank there was contact with several teams including Lotto, Katusha and Quick-Step. I’ve talked to Patrick Lefevere a few times over the years and asked him why he never signed me, mostly just in a joking way, but I never knew why it didn’t work out. Saxo was still a great option at the time though.
At the start of my career, there was also a bit of interest from Rabobank. It was back when they were moving around with different sponsors, with Blanco and Belkin involved, so they weren’t the squad they are today.