Podium finish is 'just reward' for Porte, says Wiggins

2012 Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins says a podium finish for Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) was "just reward" for the Australian's efforts over the years.

Richie Porte at the 107th Tour de France Source: Getty

The Tour de France podium had seemed like it was beyond the 35-year-old after previous Julys in France found the Tasmanian dogged by poor luck, crashes and bad days that cost him valuable chances at a top Tour placing.

But Porte produced his best Tour performance in 2020 and is now a podium-getter at cycling's showpiece race, standing in front of the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées on Monday morning (AEST).

And Wiggins agreed the Australian has a lot to be proud of.

"He's fully deserved of it," Wiggins said, in a video posted on the Eurosport website.

"For Australia, for him - that's the result he's been chasing for a long time."

"There's been years when he's been good enough to win the Tour - there's no doubt about that.

"And third place (in 2020) is just reward for a lengthy career, which has been very successful and normally in the service of other people."

As the sun set in Paris on the final stage of the 2020 Tour de France, Porte will be jet-setting to Monaco to meet his newborn daughter, Eloise, whose birth he missed during the race.

A new career and life awaits Porte from now on, one where he'll have to make less of these sacrifices, but the podium in Paris will remain long in the memory.