On Friday Richie Porte surged into the overall lead at Paris-Nice thus repaying the trust placed in him by Sky.

Currently Porte is exploiting the situation to the maximum this week at Paris-Nice. Although he won the Volta ao Algarve last year, he spent the majority of the 2012 season riding in the shadow of Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins, a role that he is expected to resume later this season for the year’s most significant races.

Porte admitted on Friday that he felt peculiar riding with the number of the defending champion [following Wiggins’ win at Paris-Nice last year], but stated he was happy to live up to the team’s hopes.
 

“It was weird to get the No. 1 bib. I felt like a bit of a wanker riding around with the number one,” Porte told VeloNews.com “But to win the queen stage, I couldn’t be happier. The team has really supported me this week.”

On Sunday, on the final day of the race, Porte will benefit from his intimate knowledge of the Col d’Eze, where the race will be decided on a mountain TT. When asked how often he rides the climb towering above Nice, France, and Monaco, he replied with a smile: “In training, I ride Col d’Eze every second day.”