Australian looking forward to Cavendish-Greipel rivalry, will test his own form on a couple of stages
Saxo Bank-SunGard rider Richie Porte has said that he believes the long-awaited duel between Mark Cavendish and André Griepel will be perhaps the biggest highlight of the Santos Tour Down Under, and feels that his team-mate Baden Cooke can also be a factor.
“I think the duel is fantastic for the race,” he told Procycling.no in relation to the pending sprint battle. “You have a Lance factor, but personally I’m most looking forward to the ‘sprint brawl’ between Cav and Greipel.”
Porte worked hard in Monaco prior to heading back to Australia for the winter. It’s uncertain how well things went there, but he wasn’t a factor in the recent road race championships. He doesn’t see himself as a contender for the Santos Tour Down Under.
"My form is not very good at the moment. My goals will come later in the season. I'm here to enjoy cycling on home soil in good weather. I'm really looking forward to racing at home,” he said, explaining that cycling is becoming more and more popular there.
With the current uncertainty about Alberto Contador, Porte and Chris Anker Sorensen could in theory find themselves leading the Saxo Bank SunGard team in the Tour de France. He’ll certainly have his chance before then to show how he has progressed from what was a superb debut season with the team last year.
Because of that, he’s content to build his form gradually and to assist the other riders on the team. He’ll test his legs in the Santos Tour Down Under, but won’t have bigger personal goals than that.
"I’m going to help the sprinters. We have the Haedo brothers and Baden Cooke,” he said. “I think we may see Baden coming back into winning form. For my part, I think I will try something on the Willunga stage, but I’d also like to get in a break.”
The Australian World Tour event gets underway on January 18th. Before then, the riders will ride the Adelaide Cancer Council Classic as a warm-up.
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Saxo Bank –Sungard for Santos Tour Down Under:
Richie Porte
Juan Jose Haedo
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Baden Cooke
David Tanner
Brian Vandborg
Nicki Sorensen