Richie Porte's diary: Tour's finish on the Champs circuit will be one to remember

By Richie Porte
Updated September 15 2014 - 10:13am, first published July 26 2014 - 12:03pm

Stage 19: Maubourguet to Bergerac  208.5km

Sunday's entry onto the Champs Elysees in Paris for the finish of another Tour de France will be one I will not have experienced for a while.

I rode onto the fabled cobblestones of the Champs at the end of the 2011 Tour as a teammate of Spaniard Alberto Contador, who then placed fifth overall.

But, barring any disaster, this will be the first time I do so as a member of the British Sky team that has not won the Tour.

However, that’s the prize this year ... finishing this race, and getting to ride into Paris and then on the Champs Elysees … itself a dream for any cyclist, as it was mine after watching guys like Robbie McEwen and Brad McGee.

Back then, it all looked so nice … a procession up until the outskirts of Paris where the race would explode as soon as you are on the cobblestoned circuit of the Champs Elysees.

Which is all true, but the Champs circuit is harder than television images portray– an uphill drag to the Arc de Triomphe and back down.

A slight digression, but it’s funny … if you rode in the team's lap around the circuit after the final jersey presentations, you would be surprised to see what’s in between those cobbles.

I mean, you have cars going over them 24/7, so how could anyone get a chance to see what's there?

But on this one Sunday as you ride slowly around the circuit, you'll see all sorts of things rammed in between.

It’s quite amazing, the stuff that is there. But I did say I am digressing …

To be honest, as I write this, I am buckled after Friday’s 19th stage, 208.5 kilometres from Maubourguet to Bergerac that was won by Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) and left Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) two days shy of overall victory.

How the heavens opened up on us again. Has anyone made a calculation of how much rain we've had in this Tour – and how many roundabouts we’ve gone around?

Heading into Saturday’s 20th stage, the 54km time trial from Bergerac to Perigueux, it would have been easy to say that after my illness and time loss I should just ride easily and within myself.

But most riders will still give their all in a time trial – especially if they are normally strong in it, which I am.

So my plan was to keep an open mind and still "recon" the course on Saturday as I would normally do and then decide.

It’s a bloody long way, 54km by yourself at the end of three weeks of racing; but the value of a good result at the end of a testing Tour is undeniable.

However, that's easy to say sitting on my hotel bed the night before, looking out the window at the pink sky as the weather clears after spending all day racing in the rain.

Simply put, however you look at it, there is no easy finish to the Tour; which makes it the great event it is.

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