Tour de France rider Richie Porte has extended his contract with the BMC racing team.
The team announced the extension ahead of Saturday's start of the 2017 Tour in Duesseldorf, Germany. It didn't say for how long his contract will run.
BMC general manager Jim Ochowicz said the deal would allow the 32-year-old Australian to concentrate fully on the race.
Porte is among the favourites after a solid start to the season, with wins at the Tour Down Under and Tour de Romandie and a second-place finish at the Criterium du Dauphine.
The team's statement did not give details of the new contract.
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Porte joined BMC in 2016 after racing for Team Sky in support of Chris Froome, the defending Tour champion.
