Briton Froome won the race in 2013 but crashed out of the
Tour in the fifth stage last year.
Australian Porte, as well as Ireland's Nicolas Roche, Dutchman
Wout Poels and Czech Leopold Konig will assist Froome in the
mountains.
Ian Stannard will be Froome's domestique in a treacherous first
week featuring cobble and possibly tricky weather conditions.
"He's a powerhouse, his real role will be protecting the team,
protecting Chris, he's gonna be absolutely pivotal in the first
week," said team manager Dave Brailsford.
Geraint Thomas, Pete Kennaugh and Luke Rowe have the ability to
cover al terrains. The Tour starts from Utrecht, Netherlands, on
Saturday.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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