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Richie Porte is interviewed exclusively in the new Tour de France Review issue of Procycling magazine; select the November 2020 issue, which can also be purchased online here (opens in a new tab).

Richie Porte described his return to Ineos Grenadiers next season, which will conclude his career, as a "dream."

Porte was a member of Team Sky from 2012 to 2015, where he was part of three Tour de France winning teams; three years with BMC and the last two seasons with Trek-Segafredo, Porte will sign a two-year contract for 2021 after the Tour this year. He announced that he will return to Ineos Grenadiers after this year's Tour, signing a two-year contract for 2021.

According to Procycling magazine, Porte said: "When my wife was pregnant and when our child was born (Porte's daughter was born midway through the Tour this year), I had the option to quit. But for me Sky was a team where I had a lot of success and a lot of fun at the same time.

"I remember when I left, Dave [Brailsford, team principal] gave a speech saying, 'Richie, if you want to come back, remember, the door is always open. But I think it was always my dream to go back there and finish my career. It was always in the back of my mind."

The Ineos team that Porte rejoins is very different from the one he left. While team principal Brailsford, coach Tim Kellison, and longtime riders such as Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe remain, Chris Froome, Porte's frequent captain in the mountains, has moved to Israel's Startup Nation, and a new generation such as Egan Bernal and Richard Karapas, and a new generation of riders such as Egan Bernal and Richard Karapas will take the lead roles.

"So is Nico Portal: ...... Even when I left the team he was a very good friend. Nico Portal too ...... Even when I left the team he was a very good friend. And now we have two kids. It's tough. People say Sky and Ineos don't have a human touch, but for me they have a human touch. When I look back on the four years I spent there, I really enjoyed it. Success there is another thing, but it was a happy place anyway."

The 35-year-old Porte admitted that he had received interest from Israel Startup Nation, where he was supposed to reunite with Froome, but said that racing in an environment he already knew was more effective for him as he looked to the later years of his career.

"I wanted to go to a team that knew the dynamics," he said. If the Tour Down Under comes up next year, I can try to win there.

Porte said he felt "satisfied" with his third-place finish in this year's Tour, although he insisted that he would be given a chance in the race after next season.

"I'm very happy to be on the podium at the Tour. It's always been a big goal of mine, so achieving it has made me more calm and relaxed and ready to move into a role like this. "

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