Porte and Evans -the comparisons begin
I think I set myself up for failure by posting in Irishpeloton's post about the "next Porte of call". I posted that the Australian media hadn't yet described Richie Porte as "the next Cadel Evans".
Didn't take long, did it?
Interesting article in some ways, though I think that Evans' MTB pedigree is stronger than Porte's tri background.
almost 2 years ago
slowK
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Yeah, Porte was never a world beater in triathlon like Cadel was in MTB
Evans all ready has a year under his belt from Saeco and had won major stage races like the Tour of Austria and Brixia Tour before his Giro apperance unlike Porte who was stuck in the Amateur Italian races and with Praties cycling so his performance this year is way more unexpected that what Cadel did back in ’02.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
Porte must be millions times better than Evans
He didn’t explode spectacularly when in pink. 7-8 Tour wins for sure. Let the hype begin. :-)
thanks
that’s helpful.
Wait, how can he win this many if Edvald Boasson Hagen already has those same tours won?
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 1, 2010 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I really hope Porte won't be one of those 1-hit GT wonders
He wouldn’t be the first GT rookie to do reasonably well, only to be never heard of ever after. The pressure must have been pretty high with his team still looking for a sponsor and no other members in the team to take the spotlight.
What we do does not define who we are. What defines us is how well we rise after we fall.
I'm pretty doubtful, myself
I discount his GC position as a result of the stage 12 “fluke”… and his white jersey was at least partially due to Leaky making their youngsters work for Basso (and note in contrast how much work CAS did for him). He went up hills OK, and TTed OK, and he is clearly a great character. But I don’t think he was exceptional in any one thing, bar (possibly) stamina for a 3 week tour. So I think he is still very much to be proven.
Bear in mind he ain’t that young (25) – which I think makes him give or take the same age as the Schlecklet. Would love to see more success, but this sort of reminds me of Tommy V in yellow – a capable rider who lucked into a glamour position that is basically above his station. He will still be good, but I am not yet in the church of believers on Mr Porte.
White Jersey
I think he’s a white jersey winner, no more, no less. Look up lists of white jersey winners and see how many of them panned out. It’s a slight indicator but not decisive by any means.
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 1, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
well, shit...
Preceding those debuts, both boasted a time trial in a Swiss race as their first major win.
That does it – Porte’s the second coming…
Haha these writers seemed to be reaching for that because that "major" win was a post Tour race
and they just added it for the sake of comparison. So if that counts as Evan’s “major” win, then Porte should be winning GT’s by next year.
Cadel’s first major win should be considered as his Tour of Austria stage win, beating 2 pretty good guys by over a minute: Ivan Basso and Michael Rasmussen. He then went on to win the overall.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
by Vlaanderen90 on Jun 1, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
He seems pretty down to Earth to me
Cadel never struck me as a person too in touch with reality. He gets the best of himself, let the entire 08 tour be an example of that. Im not expecting Richie to fold under the pressure, he’ll keep riding his pace and doing whats asked of him. I think even he has to be skeptical of his climbing skills, even though he has the raw talent to compete. Also, he doesnt have the pressure of the team on his back, like Cadel has had, hes still low enough on the todem pole even with this performance to have the emphasis taken off his shoulders for now. Those two are different riders, i dont like the comparison, its only based on nationality and not realistic.
I see great things in this young man's future
Unless they fail to materialize.
Honestly, though, he could be a consistent top 10 finisher in whichever major tours he rides in.
But to compare him to a real stud like Cadel is a reach.
Cerca la qualita in Giro
I would bet the kid
is embarrassed by the comparison. Perhaps flattered, but embarrassed. It’s just too soon.
Cazzo, it's going to be a bloodbath! The Mortirolo is a horror, absolutely interminable. -- Michele Scarponi
But is a comparison with someone who has never won a GT
really a jinx for future GT success?
Giro...Giro.....Giro!!!!!!!!
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