Greig Leach

Richie Porte (Sky) is the Australian National Time Trial Champion, so he hit the start ramp in Treviso not in the black and blue of the Team Sky kit, but instead wearing the national colors of Australia. I painted and titled this piece before I knew just what kind of ride the Aussie was having today. Porte has been having a very tough second week of the Giro. Between losing time on climbs, suffering from the "Wheelgate" time penalty and getting caught up in pile ups outside of the magical 3 kilometer mark, he has continued to slide down the general classification. Stage 13 and the time trial should have been his chance to shine, but instead of Porte cheating the wind, it turned out to be the other way around.