Australian Richie Porte - 2016 Olympic Games men's road race at Fort Copacabana
Richie Porte (Australia) suffered a bad day in the men's road race at the Olympic Games on Saturday. He started the race as one of the favourites for a medal but crashed out on the circuit's tricky descent with 35km to go and abandoned with fractured right scapula that has ruled him out of the time trial.
Porte's race was riddled with bad luck from the start. He dropped a chain on the first circuit around Grumari Natural Park through a rough cobbled section. He had a second mechanical in the same place on the next time along the cobbles through that circuit.
He managed to get himself back in the race and was among the main contenders that emerged on the Canoas/Vista Chinesa loop, which was expected to be the most decisive part of the race. The men completed three laps of the loop, which included an 8.9km climb followed by a technical descent.
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Porte was in the mix of lead climbers in the select chase bunch but crashed on the descent on the second of three laps, effectively eliminating him from the race altogether.
"We were away with a small group on the descent and on one of the corners I came around and there was a guy on the road who crashed and I had nowhere to go," Porte said of the crash. "It was fortunate a tree stopped me from going over the side.
"I'm bruised and battered and sore and I'm disappointed but lucky I'm not worse off."
Adding to the disappointment of crashing out of the road race, Porte added that he won't be able to compete in the time trial.
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"I'm definitely out of the time trial," said Porte after being released from Vitoria Hospital in Barra. "I won't be able to ride for at least ten days, my arms in a sling and I can't really move my arm."
The Australian team also lost Rohan Dennis on the first set of circuits through Grumari Park. He seen pulling to the side of the road along the coast. He will be targeting the time trial on August 10. The team also started with Simon Clarke who finished in 25th place.
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