(MENAFN- Kora) Porte had been set to lead team sky at next month's grand tour in italy and would have been expected to challenge for the pink jersey after a strong 2013.
but team sky have changed their plans for the 29-year-old australian with porte now set to forgo the giro in favour of the liege-bastogne-liege one-day classic on april 27 which should leave him fresh for the tour de france that starts on july 5.
"richie was always going to ride the tour de france this year but this now means that he can fully focus on being in the best possible shape without having the added challenge of having to ride the giro as well" team sky's head of performance support tim kerrison told their website.
"he played an invaluable role in our tour wins in 2012 and 2013 and we want him to do the same again this year.
"we're always reviewing our line-ups and looking how we can best support our riders and give ourselves the best possible chance for success."
porte was forced out of the tirreno-adriatico and volta a catalunya due to a bout of gastroenteritis and had expressed his concerns about being ready for the giro.
the tasmanian won paris-nice last year and finished second overall at the criterium international the tour of the basque country and the criterium du dauphine while he also claimed a bronze medal at the 2013 uci road world championships.
porte had been expected to go head-to-head with compatriot cadel evans (bmc) at the giro.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.