BAGNERES DE LUCHON: What can I say? It’s always great to see an Australian win in the Tour de France, even if they are not on your team.

That was the case on Tuesday when Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) won the 16th stage from Carcassonne to Bagneres de Luchon in the Pyrenees

Sure, it would’ve been great for Sky had Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus won the stage. He was third. And I would have been rapt for him too.

But I know ''Mick'' and really like and respect him. As a former teammate at Sky, I know first-hand what he can do for a team.

Even though we are not teammates anymore, it was great to see Michael win – especially after all that has happened to him.

This year though he has ridden excellently. A three-times world time trial champion, he won two stages of the Giro d'Italia in May and has ridden strongly in many of his races; but he is probably right now in the best form he has been in.

Mick also used his brains to win. He is a smart rider. I saw it was a tactical win; but you can’t just win by tactics. You have to have the legs. Fortunately, Mick has both.

As for me, I lost more time overall on Tuesday – finishing 57th at 16 minutes 21 seconds on the stage and falling from 15th place overall to 17th at 24.8 to the Italian race leader, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

It was another day with a fast start, though.

It’s funny, after rest days everyone is still on holiday mood in the bunch a bit. It’s like you have been away from it for a while.

You can be so slow to react. In stage 16, there were so many close calls from the start to when the major day-long move went – the move with Michael in it.

But this time it took some time for the race to settle after the breakaway did escape ... like up to about 80 kilometres, to be honest.

Usually, when the yellow jersey wearer stops for a nature break that means it’s all over, that the move [has been made] for the day.

But then on Tuesday, and after Mick’s move and then when his group moved away, it was again on for all.

I won’t name names, but some teams weren’t happy with the move with Mick in it. And next thing, the main peloton then split into three groups on the road, and we were going absolutely flat out again. And it went like that for up to 80 kilometres today.

However, where I stand now,  what time I do lose is not really important any more; it is more how I am feeling and recovering from the chest infection that struck me in the Alps last week.

I am making a little progress. But it’s a hard game, even when you are at 100 per cent. So when you are down and having difficulty breathing, it’s absolutely miserable.

I am just looking forward to getting to the overall finish in Paris now, and then to some time off. I think I deserve it.

I’m not thinking of any post-Tour criteriums. I just want to go back to Monaco, where I live during the European season.

Richie Porte is a rider with Team Sky.