Richie Porte first competed in the Santos Tour Down Under in 2008. Fourteen years later, Porte will be racing for the last time in South Australia in the final season of his career.

The 36-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider is once again coaching a new generation of hopefuls with the national team (Team Garmin Australia) at the Santos Festival of Cycling. Although it won't be the World Tour finale he had hoped for, due to the cancellation of the second year of the international event, he intends to make the most of his last hours on the vineyard trail, especially on the final climb, Willunga Hill.

"I want to have fun. Adelaide has been very kind to me over the years. It's probably my favorite race on the calendar and I'm really happy to be here," Porte said as the race began.

"It's a shame it's not a World Tour event, but it's a great opportunity for the young Aussie kids to show what they can do and compete against guys like Rohan Dennis, Luke Durbridge, and Plappy [Luke Plapp]. There are some top-notch riders here and it's always good to see what the Aussie boys can do."

Porte, who was with Team Garmin Australia last year, helped put Prappi in the spotlight with the Ineos Grenadiers. Plappi congratulated his mentor and teammate on the line as he took his seventh win at the top of Willunga, the race's iconic climb.

Today, Plappi has a contract in hand with the Ineos Grenadiers, a team of first-year riders under 19 and 23 years old, where he and Porte take on a mentoring role.

When Porte, in a similar capacity to the younger riders, participated as a national team in the South Australian state race, then known as Uni SA Australia, he finished ninth overall in GC, one spot ahead of current race director Stuart O'Grady.

"This race is where it all started for me, I was a wildcard selection in 2008 to work here and I really love this race,"

"Willunga is a bit of a stepping stone for me." [

Porte said.

Calling Willunga a bit of a stepping stone may be a bit of an understatement for this Tasmanian rider. His winning streak at Willunga began in 2014 and he has won in all but one year since. It is no surprise that he is known as the King of Willunga, but now that he is retiring and his reign is coming to an end, the only question left is whether it will be this year or next.

"In a way, it would be nice to gallop a little there, but we'll see what happens," Porte said.

"I mean, we're a young team and it'll be up to us to get it back, but if it doesn't happen, if it all goes wrong and Blake ends up taking the stage, it would be nice to get out from behind and have some fun.

The men's road stage of the Santos Festival of Cycling started in Stirling on Thursday after a criterium in central Adelaide on Wednesday. The National Road Series, which features a mix of national teams and World Tour pros, will finish atop Willunga Hill on Saturday.