Richie Porte On Training Camp

Australian Richie Porte is starting his first year at Team Saxo Bank and has just returned to his home in Monaco after his first team training camp on Fuerteventura. Becoming a member of one of the greatest cycling teams in the world has been an exciting and scary encounter for Richie who turns 25 on January 30th:
“As a new professional rider, it was a little daunting turning up to the survival camp with such big guys. At times, the survival camp was stressful but that is when you really get to know your team mates! The last two weeks at Playitas were a lot of fun. There is great morale in this team in both the riders and staff”, states Richie Porte.

Prior to meeting his new teammates he was naturally unsure of what to expect and what was expected from him:

“I expected to learn a lot from the camp. I talked with my sports director, Bradley McGee and he just told me to go in there and learn. I expected for it to be hard which it was but within reason! I spent my first years cycling in Australia for a small team called Praties where I had a great group of people supporting me. With Team Saxo Bank we have that same caring environment but the level of support is to another level and working with guys like Bradley McGee and Bobby Julich is simply a great experience. The race calendar looks a fair bit different as well”.

Competing with the best cyclists in the world takes a lot more than hours of training on the bike. You can always work on adjustments of the gear, positions on the bike an eating habits to gain essential seconds on your opponent:

“I had a BG fit session with Andy Pruitt and we made some adjustments to my position on the road and TT bikes. We ironed out a few minor problems I had with my pedaling. The guys from Specialized were great to work with. It’s nice to work with people who have such a passion for innovation in cycling.

Hard training and proper restitution pays off and Richie Porte is already feeling up for the challenges to come:

“My fitness has come up incredibly in the past two weeks. Playitas is a great place to stay not only for cycling but they have some other great facilities such as the gym and swimming pool which we all put to great use. My fitness has increased but I also got some incredible tan on my arms and legs which is just as important”, concludes Richie Porte who will be doing his first race in Challenge Mallorca from 7-11th of February.

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