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Richie Porte's Tour diary
Stage 14: Rodez to Mende
What is happening on the Tour de France with incidents involving the crowds like those that marred Saturday's 14th stage in the Massif Central has got to stop – but how? I simply don't know.
I may not have had urine thrown at me by a spectator, as Chris Froome did in the stage from Rodez to Mende; but I was spat on by one person from the roadside on the climb to the finish.
After what happened to 'Froomey,' and to me after being punched in the ribs on the climb to the finish of stage at La Pierre-Saint Martin last Tuesday, you wonder what is going on in this race.
It was all a rotten end to an already tough day.
It began with me still feeling off with a sore throat, doing work setting the tempo early, then having a front wheel flat at 60km/h on the last descent before the climb to the finish – fortunately I didn't crash.
Then after being spat on while riding up the last climb and finishing, we found our hotel infested by ants and no air-conditioning.
But that's the Tour for you ... every day, it is complete nuts, from the moment that you open your eyes early in the morning to when you close them late at night.
However, while some things can or can't be avoided in the Tour; measures are desperately needed for some sort of crowd control to avoid incidents which marred Saturday's stage?
On the last climb to Mende, I had just hoped to ride easily to the stage finish when suddenly a young man who appeared to be about 20 spat at me, mostly down my arm.
I saw him, then stopped to confront him, but a gendarme came between us and sent me on my way.
That on top of what 'Froomey' experienced with someone throwing urine at him just makes you wonder why these incidents occur, and what can be done to stop them.
I don't know the answer, but I do know that they are getting away with it.
There are guys behind these incidents who are raising questions about us at Sky and are sceptical about our performances. Some of them are the cause of the problem [of doping] to begin with.
It's crazy really ... all we are doing is riding bikes, yet people can hate us so much for us doing that.
Even worse, as if racing in the Tour is not hard enough, we don't want to be racing while still fearful of what is just around the corner, or looking for someone to do something bad and be ready to react.
But it's starting to get that way, and it's a worry.
Fans can spray you with beer and water and the like and it's all usually done in fun.
We don't want to be sprayed with stuff you don't know about. We are humans.
What I do know is that I'm clean. I have never done a thing wrong and never will.
I am just a kid who one day moved from 'Tassie' and borrowed the money off his mum and dad to chase a dream – that of becoming a professional bike racer based in Europe.
And you know what? It has worked out for me. I did it the hard way, and I am proud of it.
As to incidents like what happened on Saturday, I believe it is a minority who are behind it, even if instances appear to be on the rise.
For the most part, the majority of spectators are awesome. It just takes a few to ruin it for all.
* Australian Team Sky rider Richie Porte is racing his fourth Tour de France
