Richie Porte to make Trek-Segafredo debut leading team at Tour Down Under
As the racing season returns, Porte will look to start strong in his new outfit


Grand Tour threat Richie Porte will make his Trek-Segafredo debut at his home race.
Porte, who has switched from BMC Racing to Trek for 2019, has won the now-famous Willunga Hill stage five years in a row and will look to repeat his early season success.
The 33-year-old has failed to deliver on his potential at the Tour de France in recent years, having crashed out of the last two editions.
>>> Tour Down Under 2019 route: Willunga Hill remains the pivotal stage amongst a host of sprints
He said: “The Tour Down Under is always a goal for me in the start of the season and it’s a joy to race in Adelaide every January.
“Obviously, riding my first race with Trek-Segafredo in Australia, I will be extra motivated to start with a good showing on GC and hope to continue the Willunga success.
“There is to be a very strong bunch of GC favourites racing who want to win the race so I know I’ll need to be on top of my game and I will be.”
Willunga Hill will no longer be the penultimate stage of this year’s Tour Down Under, instead it has been moved to the final day, taking the GC battle into the final kilometres of the race.
Porte finished fifth in the 2016 Tour de France with BMC Racing, but crashed out of the 2017 and 2018 editions, both on stage nine.
>>> Tour Down Under 2019 start list
The former lieutenant to Chris Froome at Team Sky left the British WorldTour outfit to pursue his own glories with BMC.
He has since moved to Trek-Segafredo after BMC’s future was thrown into doubt last year.
Trek’s line-up at the first race of the 2019 season will include William Clarke, Koen de Kort, Ryan Mullen, Jarlinson Pantano, Kiel Reijnen and Peter Stetina.
The Tour Down Under kicks off on January 15, with six stages around Adelaide in the south of Australia.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
-
Check out Ellen van Dijk’s bike for today's hour record attempt
Built not just for speed, Trek’s after another spot in the pantheon of iconic hour bikes
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
Best of the rest day tweets: Van der Poel starts a culinary war, riders top up their tans, and EOLO have a dance
We will make it through today, I promise
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Richie Porte won't ride Tour de France because he 'didn't enjoy pressure' of 2021 edition
The Australian will instead ride the Giro d'Italia as he seeks enjoyment in his final year of racing
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Porte and Dennis to ride Santos Festival of Cycling 2022
Confirmed teams and riders taking part in the 2022 Santos Festival of Cycling (January 23-29)
By Cycling Weekly • Published
-
The Tour Down Under will not be taking place in 2022
The race will be replaced once again by the 'Santos Festival of Cycling' as border closures and quarantine rules continue
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
'It’s been a nice run, but it’s time': Richie Porte says 2021 edition was his final Tour de France
The Australian leads his national team into the Olympic Games road race on Saturday
By Richard Windsor • Published
-
Richie Porte ‘would love to repay Geraint Thomas’ at Tour de France after taking Dauphiné victory
The Tasmanian secured the yellow jersey, a nice bonus, before the real maillot jaune his Ineos team are after at the Tour later this month
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'I'd love to finish it off,' says Richie Porte after taking Critérium du Dauphiné lead
Richie Porte was the strongest of the GC guys as he attacked on stage seven to take the race lead
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers announce super-strong team for Critérium du Dauphiné 2021
The Tour de France build-up race is always a big objective for the British squad
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Richie Porte, Amanda Spratt and Rohan Dennis confirmed for Australian team at Tokyo Olympics
Porte and Amanda Spratt headline the squad for the tough Olympic road race scheduled for this summer
By Alex Ballinger • Published