Düsseldorf: Tasmania's Richie Porte is standing before a phalanx of cameras and microphones answering a barrage of questions from media about the possibilities of winning the Tour de France that starts in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Saturday.
![Richie Porte has extened his contract with BMC Racing Team.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701192812im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/p/x/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx1v4v.png/1498843344927.jpg)
Taking note several feet away is Cadel Evans, the first and only Australian to win the world's biggest cycle race. Asked what sage advice he would give the 32-year-old Porte, Evans replied with a wry smile: "Stay calm. Enjoy the race. Do your best."
Porte races for the US-registered BMC Racing Team and was dubbed by the British defending Tour champion Chris Froome on Wednesday as "the man to beat".
![Richie Porte finished fifth in last year's Tour de France.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701192812im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/p/x/j/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx1v4v.png/1498908469533.jpg)
Evans' eight words made winning the Tour sound simple, but they carried weight, considering the complexities of the race.
It is one of the world's toughest sport events. It is not just because of the physical demands of racing for three weeks, but also the intensity of all that surrounds the Tour.
Evans, who raced nine Tours before retiring in 2015, learned the hard way en route to his 2011 win (also for BMC). It followed six bids that included two second places – at 23 seconds in 2007 and 58 seconds in 2008.
The "circus" surrounding the Tour can cruel a rider's winning chances as effectively as any rival rider or their team can.
![Race ready: Tasmania's Richie Porte is one of the favourites for the Tour de France.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701192812im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/p/x/n/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gx1v4v.png/1498843344927.jpg)
Pressure in the Tour reaches levels like no other cycle race and can be sourced from a range of circumstances. These include the dangers of badly placed road furniture, errant dogs and the hundreds of thousands of roadside fans who stand or run perilously close to the riders, and constant demands of a media throng numbering 2000 and sponsors. Add the impact of a controversy on a rider, even when it does not involve them. The Tour has seen so many, from flare-ups within and out of the peloton, to finish-line mayhem and so many doping scandals challenging the credibility of the Tour that began in 1903 yet has survived despite them all due to its growing popularity worldwide.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701192812im_/http://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/gx2f5w/web_TourDeFrancemap.jpg)
The frenzy often tested Evans. It was no coincidence that when he won the Tour with confidence, assertion and panache, the Australian seemed more relaxed about the madness surrounding him than ever.
The question today is if Porte can cope with all that, now that he is seen as a Tour favourite.
"It is something he is going to have to deal with," Evans said. "But you get that attention for a reason. That reason is because Richie really is a real contender."
Porte, a proud Tasmanian, definitely has the hunger to vie for Tour victory, and also the climbing and time trialling prowess. Importantly, he also has the confidence and commitment of his team, with whom he has has just signed a new contract.
He is certainly busting to start the Tour in which he placed fifth in last year's race after losing almost two minutes on stage two due to a flat tyre near the finish.
"I have eight incredibly talented teammates to support me and a lot of guys behind the scenes," Porte said. "We will do our best. Obviously that podium in Paris is the goal.
"We have the right team and I am ready to do my best to get there. I am looking forward to getting this started.
"Everyone is on the top of their form and I am too."
Porte, whose season includes overall wins in the Tour Down Under and Tour de Romandie, reiterated that he has learned from his setback at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, in which he placed second but lost the lead to Dane Jacob Fuglsang (Astana) in the final stage after finding himself isolated from his teammates and attacked by his key rivals.
"I learned if people gang up on you it makes for hard racing," said Porte. "Hopefully nothing like that happens again.
"The Tour is a different race. There's always someone with interest in the stage.
"Hopefully the Dauphiné was an isolated experience."
Porte also played down Froome, who he rode for at Sky before joining BMC last year, labelling him as favourite in a field that also includes Spaniard Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r), Fuglsang, Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) and the two co-leaders of Australia's Orica-Scott team – Colombian Esteban Chaves and Briton Simon Yates.
"That is one just one of the games that they [Sky] play," Porte said. "Behind closed doors they think they have the guy to do it. He has the track record. Chris is obviously the one with the biggest target on his back. He is the defending champion.
"I don't think it is just going to be between Chris and I.
"There are so many brilliant bike riders here. You can't just focus on two guys. It is more than a two-horse race."