After missing out on a spot on the podium due to bad luck, Richie Porte hopes to make it into the top 3 at the 2017 Tour de France. The BMC captain is moderately pleased with the course that was announced today.

"It’s quite a balanced course. There’s not a lot of time trialling but there is quite a bit of climbing but descending to the finish as well. There’s quite a spread between the Planche des Belles Filles on the fifth stage and then the Col d’Izoard on the 18th. There’s a lot of stages in between there with cross winds. I think it’s typical to stand here now and saw that it’s not a climber’s Tour but the road will always decide that," Porte said.

In 2017, Porte will be targeting more results in the spring to go into the Tour with more confidence. He expects to start his season at the Tour Down Under after ending his season early with a broken collarbone sustained at the Olympics.