Sky’s the limit for Porte, says Julich

Richie Porte, race leader at the Volta ao Algarve, has just finished his warm down beside the podium and is getting ready to receive another yellow jersey at the end of stage four in Tavira.

As Porte climbs the steps to be presented with his maillot jaune, the man he holds responsible for his new found enthusiasm and also his good form at the moment, Team Sky coach Bobby Julich, quietly takes Porte’s time trial bike off the home trainer, packs it in a bag, slings it over his shoulder and heads toward the team Sky bus.

Julich, once one of the best time trialists in the world, helped Porte in his first year as a pro when they were both at Saxo Bank. The duo built up a good working relationship but parted ways last season when Julich moved to Sky. Now they are back together again and both are delighted with the arrangement.

“It really hurt me to watch him last year,” Julich says of Porte’s 2011 season. “I worked with him at Saxo Bank and then obviously I left to go to Team Sky and Richie had to stay there. We’d see each other at airports and coffee shops every now and then and sometimes go for a ride together and it really pained me to see where he was mentally, but I’m happy that he’s here at Team Sky with us now and you can obviously see that he’s just as happy. It’s a win-win situation.”

After a stellar first season in the paid ranks, Porte was forced to take a back seat in 2011 with the arrival of Tour De France winner Alberto Contador at Saxo Bank, which according to Julich, was pretty understandable.

“It was a unique situation there”, he explains. “I mean you’re going there to ride with the best athlete of his generation in Contador. I don’t think Richie really was the top priority. It’s obvious if you have a guy like Alberto on your team, you will be second fiddle. It was unfortunate but I think he learned a lot. I know he learned a lot from Bjarne (Riis) but something went wrong and he slipped through the cracks last year. Were here to pick him up. We’ve got a couple of years together with him and were gonna get him in good nick and go from there. Let’s not forget that this is just his third season as a pro. He had a breakout season in 2010, where everyone wanted him. Everyone wanted to know his name and talk to him, journalists and fans. Then last year he was totally forgotten about. So in two years, he learned two of the biggest lessons. Know who your friends are and know who you can trust. With that second year as a pro he got a lot out of the way and he’s got a clear road ahead of him. Of course he’s gonna hit bumps in the road, we all do, we all have, but now I think he knows and believes he can be successful.”

While Julich believes Porte can hold on in the final 28km time trial and win the 2012 Volta ao Algarve, he also believes that it doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t. It’s all been a learning curve that Julich hopes will stand to the Tasmanian in the future.

“Absolutely, he’s worked hard, he’s ready. Obviously he’s got two good guys just behind him, (Machado and Rui Costa) that are from Portugal and are super motivated, so it’s not a cakewalk. But, no matter what, it will be a good test for him to do a time trial under pressure going for a GC win, which he’s never done before. Win or lose, it’s going to be a positive experience tomorrow. I said that even with 30km to go on the road to Alto de Malhao,” says Julich. “I said to our director, Nicolas Portal, that no matter what happens it’s a positive experience because he needs this sort of practice. You always lose more than you win, but for Richie, the perfect scenario panned out on the climb and he won the stage and took the lead. But even if he lost, or if he loses the jersey tomorrow, this is all practice for the future.”

Does Porte’s future hold an even more famous maillot jaune in Julich’s crystal ball, one of Tour de France winner? “Who wins Grand Tours nowadays?” asks Julich, before providing the answer himself. “It’s guys that climb and time trial. I think Richie can do both so absolutely he has a chance. When he was a neo-pro he finished eighth in the Giro, his first Grand Tour, so the potential is there. Bjarne saw it initially and gave him the chance to turn pro. I don’t think he’s lost that. It’s always been inside him and we just need to pull it out.”

The “we” Julich speaks of are the Team Sky coaching staff. Although he is one of three coaches at Sky and works alongside Rod Ellingworth and Kurt Asle Arvesen, Julich has more than a passing interest in tomorrow’s race against the clock. He was a formidable time triallist himself and his experience and penchant for perfection rubs off on the rest of the Sky squad, even the staff. As is the Sky way, nothing has been left to chance. Porte even warmed down on his time trial bike after the stage rather than use his usual road bike.

“Time trials were the thing that I could do best,” Julich admits, as a couple of the Sky mechanics see him carrying a bag while wheeling a bike and immediately scurry over to whip them off him. “I spent a lot of time on it and concentrated on it. Luckily I was here last year for this time trial and I know the course. We’ve already seen the course, taken notes on the course, google mapped the course and tomorrow the guys will ride the course again. Let the cards fall where they may. I’m confident that Richie will hold onto the jersey.”

FILED UNDER: Road TAGS: Richie Porte / Team Sky