Team Sky back Richie Porte as potential leader ahead of Tour de France

TASMANIAN Richie Porte could win this year’s Tour de France, according to Team Sky principal Sir David Brailsford.

LYON, FRANCE - JUNE 08: Richie Porte of Australia and Team Sky in action during the first stage, an individual time trial, of the Criterium du Dauphine, on June 8, 2014 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Kristof Van Accom/Getty Images)

TASMANIAN Richie Porte could win this year’s Tour de France, according to Team Sky principal Sir David Brailsford.

Porte has recovered from the illness which destroyed his Giro d’Italia aspirations and will serve as defending champion Chris Froome’s chief lieutenant when the 101st Tour starts in Leeds on Saturday.

Fending off criticism over the controversial omission of 2012 champion Sir Bradley Wiggins, Brailsford said Porte is a future team leader.

“Richie will win a grand tour in his own right,” Brailsford said.

“Who’s to say he can’t win this year’s Tour de France? If he hadn’t got ill earlier in the season he’d have led the team in the (Giro d’Italia).”

A multiple Olympic and world champion, Wiggins feared he would be left out of Sky’s nine-rider line-up to appease Froome because of friction between the pair.

The snub is likely to reignite conjecture over Wiggins’s future.

News Limited last year exclusively reported Orica-GreenEDGE’s interest in the British star, who has previously worked closely with OGE director Matt White.

Wiggins has committed to representing England at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but his long-term future is now surely clouded.

Britain's Christopher Froome (L) rides during the sixth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine.

He has been in fine form this season, winning the Tour of California and this week again demonstrated unmatched time trial skills with a third national title.

Conceding it was touch to overlook Wiggins, Brailsford hinted at tension in the Sky ranks.

“In elite sport, selection of a team is one of the most difficult parts, there’s no doubt about it,” he told Sky Sports.

“Bradley’s been a great champion, is a great champion — he’s been fundamental to the growth of cycling in this country.

“But my job is to look at the best probabilities to try to win, to picture somebody on that podium with the yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees and work back from there.

“You look at the riders you’ve got and think who’s the best placed to try and win, then you build a team based on evidence, based on logic — you try to take the emotion out of it.

“A star team will always beat a team of stars. I think that’s really important.”

Porte is one of an expected 12 Australian riders to line up in the world’s greatest tour.

The tough all-rounder joins confirmed starters Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol), Heinrich Haussler (IAM), Mark Renshaw (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Zak Dempster (NetApp-Endura).

OGE will probably select Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Cameron Meyer, Brett Lancaster and Matt Goss or Michael Matthews, while Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) and Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) are also in contention.

BMC’s Cadel Evans, the 2011 champion, will not ride Tour this season.

Originally published as Team Sky back Richie Porte as potential leader ahead of Tour de France