Road Cycling Legend Richie Porte: ‘Commenting on weight should be totally off limits’

By We Love Cycling

 

Unwind with another episode of the We Love Cycling podcast with Matt Stephens. This time, we’re going Down Under.

If you’ve been a fan of world road cycling for some time, the name Richie Porte is hard to evade. Born in Launceston, Australia, saying he enjoyed a stellar pro career would be an understatement. The past tense is no mistake – he hung up his professional activities very recently in 2022 after incredible 15 years.

But before that, as an incredible climber with strong time-trial skills, he amassed enviable palmares such as two GC wins at Paris-Nice, two times first place at Santos Tour Down Under, one GC win at the Tour de Suisse and one at Critérium du Dauphiné, third place overall at the 2010 Tour de France and a substantial amount of stage wins. And the list goes on and on. The most notable teams that really allowed him to shine were Trek–Segafredo and Ineos Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky).

With Matt, Richie went over the switch to a somewhat recreational cyclist and the sport’s observer, the (personal) growth the word of pro cycling enabled him, what kind of a roommate he was at cycling camps, what is the essence of a perfectly harmonized team – and together, they reminisce about the time they spent pool diving. They also touch upon the darker side of almost every pro sport, which is body shaming, the pressure to look a certain way on social media and hurtful commentary tied to that.

Tune in and enjoy.