Richie Porte pulls out of World Championships 2018 road race

The Australian was due to lead the national team in Innsbruck, but the position will be given to another rider

Porte will start his season at the Tour Down Under
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

Australian favourite Richie Porte (BMC Racing) has pulled out of the 2018 World Championship road race due to illness.

Porte was due to lead the Australian team in Innsbruck on Sunday but has confirmed he will not feature.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former 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, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex 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 the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.