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Australia's 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Richie Porte heads into the Alps on stage 13 of the 2014 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France on Friday with a very real oppo🦋rtunity to consolidate his second place overall – and to perhaps even challenge Astana's Vincenzo Nibali for the Tou💟r title.

Porte's Sky team has won th🍎e last two Tours, through Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and Chris Froome in 2013. But with Wiggins not selected for the British team's nine-man squad this year, and with defending champion Froome crashing out of the race on stage five, Porte has inherited the task – and the opportunity – of continuing Sky's run of Tour success.

“It was a shock to lose Chris, and then Tinkoff-Saxo lost Alberto Contador, and Quick Step had already lost Cav [Mark Cavendish, on stage 1], so it's been a strange Tour in that respect,” said Porte. “Leading the team puts a little extra pressure on me,𝓡 but I've enjoyed it, and the team's been really good with me, looking after me. It's a massive opꦦportunity, and I'm going to make the most of it.”

The Tasmanian remains 2:23 down on Vincenzo Nibali, but only now – starting with stage 13 b🌠etween Saint🥃 Etienne and Chamrousse, with a summit finish at the Alpine ski station – does the Tour head into the high mountains.

“Going into the big mountain stages, I'm quietly confident about my climbing ability, having ridden for Chris 🔴in the mountains last year,” Porte said, modestly, agreeing that the real climbing comes after what has been an already-tough firs🉐t 12 days.

“But it🐻 doesn't matter what the race is – whether it's th💟e Tour or a local club race back in Tasmania. I don't think I've ever done an easy race!” he laughed.

“I don't know the Chamrousse climb that well, but I do know the one the nex⛦t day up to Risoul, as we did it in the Dauphiné [in 2013],” explained Porte. “But I do know that Chamrousse is a long climb, and there's also a long climb [the Col de Palaqu🤪it] before that.

“So I think it's g✃oing to be a hard day – which may be stating the obvious!” he grinned.