Monday, 14 August 2017: Richie Porte has tweeted a photo of himself back on the bike, joking that his lycra seems to have shrunk.

Richie Porte is excited to be back on his bike, even if his lycra feels a bit more snug.

The Australian cycling star tweeted a photo on Monday as he was about to have his first road ride since last month's horrific Tour de France crash.

Porte was fifth in the overall standings on July 9 when he crashed at high speed on the technical Mont du Chat descent near the end of stage nine.

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The Tasmanian suffered a fractured pelvis, a broken collarbone and plenty of road rash.

"Heading out on the road for the 1st time since my crash, feels like first day back at school. So excited!," Porte tweeted.

The photo he posted showed the smiling cycling star astride his bike and he looked in good health.

But his post also carried the hashtag #mylycrahasshrunk.

There is no indication yet when the BMC team leader will return to racing.

While broken collarbones are considered occupational hazards among pro cyclists, a pelvis fracture is a much more significant injury.

Porte had been in the form of his life this season and was one of the key Tour favourites.