In July 2021, the first Devil's Cardigan gravel race kicked off in Tasmania, in the cold of a southern hemisphere winter. At the time, Richie Porte was halfway around the world, in the middle of summer, competing in his last Tour de France with Ineos Grenadiers. The year before, he had achieved a longtime goal by making the podium at the Grand Tour of France.

"It's pretty stressful when you're racing in Europe, but when I saw my friends in Tassie lining up for a new event called Devil's Cardigan, I thought it would be nice to do something like that," Porte told Cycling News. 'It's less stressful, it's low key, and it's something we can do for fun.'

Two years later, Porte, now retired, is doing just that. On Saturday, he will run the 106-km Devil's Cardigan (elevation 2300 m, northeast Tasmania, a stone's throw from his home).

"It will be pretty cold now in the middle of winter, but I'm looking forward to it," Porte said.

The Devil's Cardigan will start in Derby, a mountain biking hub, and wind through just four short asphalt road sections that make up 13% of the distance. The long gravel road runs through temperate rainforest, waterfalls, low mountain scrub, and eventually leads to extensive farmland.

The route has three important climbs. First is Mutual Valley (8.3 km, 4.2%), which is the early turning point, then Ralph Falls (10.7 km, 5%), which peaks at the 45 km mark, and finally Hell's Climb (3.5 km, 8.1%).

For a rider who only three years ago stood on the podium of the Tour de France, is this climb enough to spark a competitive spirit?

"No, not at all," Porte replied, an answer that made it all the more clear that he has no intention of becoming one of the new wave of former professional road cyclists chasing gravel wins.

"As far as the weather forecast goes, I'll definitely be a ragit, and I have some good friends that I didn't get to ride with much before, so hopefully I can do that."

Porte, a former triathlete and father of two young children, said he has embraced swimming and runs only a few hundred miles a week at most. Porte also tried gravel at the Beechworth Granite Classic in Victoria this past April.

"I still enjoy riding the bike, but it's a bit like work. [It's] a really fun event to be a part of without the stress and pressure.

In addition to gravel, Porte is also preparing to take on the Cape to Cape mountain bike stage race in Western Australia this October.