Just as thing seemed as they could not get any worse for him, Richie Porte has been given a two-minute penalty and a fine of 200 Swiss francs after he received a wheel from fellow Australian Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE) when he punctured in the finale of stage 10.

According to UCI Rule 12.1.040, a rider cannot recive assistance from a rider from another team. The offence will be sactioned a fine of 200 Swiss francs and a time penalty of 2, 5 or 10 minutes or may be disqualified. The four-rider jury has given Clarke and Porte the samme sanction.

As a result, Porte now drops to 12th in the standings, 3.09 behind Alberto Contador.

Sky have refused to comment on the matter.