Skip to content

Richie Porte given two-minute Giro d'Italia penalty over wheel change

Team Sky rider now 3min 9sec off race lead in 12th overall

Simon Clarke helps Richie Porte after a puncture on stage ten of the 2015 Giro d'Italia
Image: Richie Porte illegally received a replacement wheel from Orica-GreenEdge after his puncture

Richie Porte fell to 12th overall at the Giro d'Italia after a puncture and a subsequent two-minute penalty for an illegal wheel change cost him a total of 2min 47sec on a nightmare 10th stage.

The Team Sky rider pulled up with 8km remaining to the finish in Forli and was given a replacement wheel by fellow Australian Simon Clarke, of opposing team Orica-GreenEdge.

A second Orica-GreenEdge rider in Michael Matthews then joined four other Team Sky members in the effort to drag Porte back to the bunch, which was riding at full speed in a bid to close down the day's breakaway, but they were unable to catch back up and finished 47 seconds down.

Simon Clarke helps Richie Porte after a puncture on stage ten of the 2015 Giro d'Italia
Image: Clarke gave Porte a push to get going again

But then things got even worse for the Australian, because the race jury enforced article 12.1.040/8.2 of the International Cycling Union rules, regarding "non-regulation assistance to a rider of another team", and hit both Porte and Clarke with two-minute penalties and fines of 200 Swiss francs apiece.

Porte had been third overall but has plummeted nine places and now sits 3min 9sec behind Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), who finished in the peloton to remain three seconds ahead of second-placed Fabio Aru (Astana) at the top of the general classification.

Porte’s penalty was widely criticised within the cycling world.

Retired British rider David Millar tweeted: "Shame @UCI_cycling continue to show how incredibly out of touch they are with the modern peloton. Stupid is as stupid does. Today @SimoClarke shows not only sportsmanship but friendship in helping @richie_porte out when he needed it. That is cycling to me..."

More from Giro D'italia 2015

Richie Porte after stage ten of the 2015 Tour of Italy
Image: Porte spoke to the press immediately after the stage, but more bad news was to come

Chris Boardman tweeted: "What a desperately bad decision by judges at Giro. Really foolish to penalise friendship & goodwill, exactly what we need to see more of."

Chris Horner, winner of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana, tweeted: "@richie_porte is getting penalized 2 min?? If this rule is always enforced, lot of guys will be in trouble for getting help from a friend! GC shouldn't be decided by this kind of rule. Flat tire alone in critical moment is penalty enough!"

Breakaway rider Nicola Boem (Bardiani-CSF) claimed victory on stage 10 after the peloton failed to catch the five-man escape group despite the day appearing almost certain to end in a bunch sprint.

Stage 10 result

1 Nicola Boem (Ita) Bardiani-CSF, 4:26:16

2 Matteo Busato (Ita) Southeast, same time

3 Alessandro Malaguti (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini, +2secs

4 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin, +4

5 Giacomo Nizzzolo (Ita) Trek Factory Racing, +18

6 Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida, st

7 Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal, st

8 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Giant-Alpecin, st

9 Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF, st

10 Davide Appollonio (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, st

Selected others

20 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, st

31 Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff-Saxo, st

150 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, +1:05

General classification

1 Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff-Saxo, 42:58:09

2 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, +3secs

3 Mikel Landa (Esp) Astana, +46

4 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana, +1:16

5 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Tinkoff-Saxo, +1:46

6 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx – Quick-Step, +2:10

7 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar, +2:12

8 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing, +2:20

9 Andrey Amador (Cos) Movistar, +2:24

10 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky, +2:30

Selected other

12 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, +3:09

Around Sky