Richie Porte back in action at Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Richie Porte (BMC Racing) will race for the first time since February's Volta ao Algarve next week when he supports his BMC teammates at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
Porte was unable to ride Tirreno-Adriatico due to an upper respiratory infection. He has been training since making a recovery, but will use the Basque stage race to get back on form. Damiano Caruso, who finished second overall at Tirreno-Adriatico, will lead BMC at Pais Vasco. Also in the squad are Pat Bevin, Alessandro De Marchi, Simon Gerrans, Dylan Teuns and Danilo Wyss.
"I am not going in with any expectations or putting too much pressure on myself. For me, this race will be more about testing my form and getting back into the race rhythm than anything else," Porte said when BMC confirmed their line-up for the weeklong stage race.
BMC are hoping that Caruso can once again step-up as Porte recovers, with other riders targeting stage victories.
"This will be Richie's first race back and although he feels good, we don't want to give him the immediate responsibility of going for the GC. Of course, we know Richie and maybe he can do something during the week but we will take it day by day. Instead, Damiano Caruso will be our leader for the general classification," directeur sportif Valeria Piva said.
"Overall, we have a strong team with the majority of our riders going onto the Ardennes Classics. This will be a good opportunity for them and everyone will get the chance to try and go for a stage win.
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