The Australian, 33, has spent the last three seasons at BMC Racing and has established himself as one the best week-long stage racers in the world, recently winning the Tour de Suisse in June.

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With BMC Racing struggling to sign a new sponsor until late July, the former Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice winner signed a contract with Trek-Segafredo and will lead the line in stage races, including the Tour de France, next season.

Porte crashed out of this year's Tour de France on stage 9, but will now lead BMC Racing in their final Grand Tour, at the Vuelta a España.

"I am thrilled to finally confirm that I will join Trek-Segafredo in 2019," Porte said.

"I had a great time at BMC Racing Team, and I want to thank them for the past three years, but I feel ready to take on another challenge, which I am certain I will find at Trek-Segafredo. I am particularly looking forward to focusing on more races throughout the year.

Of course, the Tour de France will still be a huge goal for me, and I am excited to go there to race with a super strong team alongside me, but I will also aim for one-week stage races, like the ones I have won before, and the ones I have never raced. Honestly, I am really excited to start this new chapter in my career - I can’t wait!

Trek believe that Porte can fill the void left by Alberto Contador, who retired at the end of 2017. The team failed to sign a replacement for this season and after showing interest in Simon Yates and Geraint Thomas turned their attention back to Porte, who they first tried to sign at the start of last season.

“Richie is a remarkable cyclist that has shown his capacities in the past, and I am confident he still has great results in him for the next few years," said General Manager Luca Guercilena.

"He has a lot of experience and leadership to share with our young riders, something I believe the whole team will benefit from. I am sure he will fit in well with the group of riders we are assembling for next year. We are excited to have him on board!"

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