Richie Porte returns to the Tour Down Under retired and happy

Richie Porte with a giant photo of him winning the 2020 Tour Down Under
Richie Porte with a giant photo of him winning the 2020 Tour Down Under (Image credit: The Peloton Brief: Laura Fletcher)

Richie Porte is back at the Tour Down Under. Huge posters at the race hotel show him in action from the 2020 race, with the phrase ‘Greatness Returns’. 

Porte is back in Adelaide but things have changed. He is not the big favourite for overall victory in 2023. The king of Willunga Hill has abdicated. Porte is retired and even recently described himself as a MAMIL – middle aged man in lycra – on Instagram. He has pulled down the curtain on his 13-year professional career and relocated to Tasmania from Europe with his wife Gemma and young family.  

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.