Richie Porte has spoken about his move to BMC, his relationship with co-leader Tejay van Garderen and the injury which has prevented him from finishing a race since the Tour de France.

After a scintillating start to 2015 which saw him win the GCs in Trentino, Catalunya and Paris-Nice, plus two wins in France, one in Trentino and stages in Algarve and Down Under, the second half of the year wasn’t great for Porte as he suffered from injury. Porte had treatment for a syndrome, where the piriformis muscle in the buttock becomes inflamed.

"I'm 30 and I felt like a 40-year-old over the last nine months," Porte told AAP. “It's one of those things that's been in the back of my mind all year. It's so bloody painful - it was a bit worrying.”

Porte will now saddle the burden of being a leader in  Grand Tour with BMC, something which he says is new territory for him, but one he thinks he can adapt well to.

"It's uncharted territory for me as a professional bike rider - I've always been second fiddle," he said. “But I've ridden with some great guys and I'm ready to take my opportunity."

He says that he has no problem with Tejay van Garderen, who will co-lead the Tour team with Porte. Porte says the two have never fought with each other and will get on, even though they have the same goal for 2016.

"In this game, you always have a few blow-ups here and there with riders on the road and he's one who I've never had an issue with," Porte said. "I don't see it being an issue that we both have our biggest goal in the Tour de France."