Richie Porte on losing his brother Tom

In October 2025, Richie Porte’s youngest brother, Tom, died by suicide. He was 37. A builder in Launceston, a husband and a father of three, and in Richie’s words, his best mate. After retiring from professional cycling, Richie spent two and a half years working alongside Tom on building sites with the two going into business together.

A year on, Richie sits down with Wade Wallace to talk about who Tom was, the last day they spent together building a fence, the phone call the next morning, and what the year since has been like. He talks about the questions he can’t answer, the friends who showed up, getting help himself, and why the hammer that now hangs on his lounge-room wall means more to him than his Tour de France podium photo.

This conversation exists in the hope that it might help someone else.

Content warning: This episode discusses suicide and grief.

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Read the accompanying feature, The hammer on the wall on our homepage.