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Richie Porte gets set for a post-retirement ride after moving back to Australia
Richie Porte's wife has appealed to people not to comment on his weight, saying as he had trained intensely for years as a cyclist, while controlling his diet, it was natural he would "change" as he stopped living that lifestyle.
Gemma Nicole Porte said while her husband was "officially retired for eight days" he was "already tired of seeing (and) hearing comments about his weight (and) size".
Her annoyance appears to stem for a couple of remarks Porte's Instagram followers left on a post of himself in regular cycling kit about to go for a ride. Giving the thumb's up sign in the photo, in the caption he said it was his "first ride as a mamil". The vast majority of comments were encouraging and wished him well in his retirement, though a couple referenced weight.
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Porte's wife clearly wasn't impressed and appealed to people to be realistic about former pro riders as they leave a very intense lifestyle for a more relaxed way of living.
"We knew the comments would come and, yes, we’re therefore probably hyper aware," she said on social media. "But in my opinion any comment is inappropriate, thoughtless and just f**king rude. Some comments are positive/congratulatory about weight gain…still not wanted. His weight shouldn’t even be a conversation.
"Richie has been an athlete for well over a decade, training every day, once sometimes twice, with his weight/diet closely monitored and major sacrifices being made in other parts of life to maintain that intensity. That will obviously now change in retirement and so will he.
"Retirement is a major adjustment physically and mentally…for anybody. Stop critiquing every change and let people find their own way."
She advised anyone who felt the need to comment on a friend's or family member's weight to do so in private and not by commenting on their photos.
Porte retired at the end of 2022 after 15 years in the pro bunch, including 13 years at World Tour level. He ended his career after his second stint, of two years, with Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky. He won Paris-Nice and Santos Tour Down Under twice. He also claimed overall victories at Tour de Suisse, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Romandie. He finished 3rd in the Tour de France in 2020.
