'It was good to see the Tour on TV from a different perspective... Froome looked vulnerable at times'

Watching the Tour de France on TV gave Richie Porte an insight into the race and his main rival Chris Froome that should help him in his bid for Tour victory next year, the Australian said this week.

A big crash on stage nine put Porte out of this year’s race with a fractured pelvis and collarbone. But the BMC rider, speaking at a training camp in Spain, said being relegated to the sofa wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

>>> ‘It’s not something that you forget in a hurry’: Richie Porte still aggrieved by Froome Dauphiné tactics

“It was probably good to see the Tour on TV from a different perspective,” said Porte, who is due to become a father in May.

“When you’re there you’re in a bubble and it’s really stressful. To be able to watch it with a bit less stress, you can see... Froomey had mechanicals and looked vulnerable at times. You can read more into the race from the couch sometimes.”

Porte also professed to, so far, feeling better physically than he did at this point last year.

However, he was guarded as to how much he might benefit from Froome’s attempt at the Giro-Tour double next year.

“It could make my life easier,” said Porte, “but he showed he was probably better at the Vuelta than the Tour this year. That’s the thing with Sky — they know what they’re doing… He’s the GC rider of his generation and they have such a strong team that they can have a great team at the Giro and the Tour,” he added.

Porte did however say the 2018 Tour route was better suited to him and his BMC team than this year’s: “With the cobbled stage [stage nine] we’ve got someone like Greg [Van Avermaet] with all that experience, and there’s more mountain-top finishes than last year. All in all it’s a better Tour for me.”

Last year’s season-ending crash wouldn’t mean changing his approach in 2018 he said, although he did admit the crash was “one of the scariest moments of my life”.

“I’m only human, of course it plays on my mind, it was quite a traumatic experience. But it’s the job, so you’ve just got to get on with it.”