When Richie Porte sets off for Tour de France glory on Saturday night, he'll do so with the support of a legion of loyal fans.
But Wendy Abbott of Wynyard, in Porte's home state of Tasmania, is more a super fan, having followed the rider avidly since 2008.
She travelled to Italy in 2015 to watch him race in the Giro D'Italia, and was there on Wilunga Hill in Victoria earlier this year for the Tour Down Under — a race he'd eventually win.
She is predicting Porte will become just the second Australian to win the Tour De France.
"He wants to win it, he's hungry," she said.
"Back at the Stan Siejka race in Launceston he told us he wanted to win the Tour de France.
"He said he wanted to win the Tour Down Under, too. I think he's going to do it."
There's excitement building in Porte's hometown of Hadspen.
Just outside Launceston and home to just 2,000 people, Hadspen was Porte's home base before he embarked on a professional career in Europe.
Most Hadspen residents have a Richie Porte yarn to spin. Grocer Graeme Radley is no exception.
He still catches up with the 32-year-old when he's in town.
"When he comes home he usually picks me up and we go for a quick ride, and then he goes off on his own training. He calls in and stirs us up, it's good," he said.
Like plenty of others over the next three weeks, Radley will be enduring some late nights as he cheers his mate on.
"I'll be sitting up. I'll be having a beer for Richie. Hopefully he gets across the line," he said.
Tasmania's rugged north is where Richie Porte's cycling journey started.
Tassie grit on Porte's side
His time around the Scottsdale loop — a popular 117-kilometre ride — remains unbeaten.
Close friend and training partner Wes Sulzberger has logged countless hours of riding alongside Porte.
An accomplished cyclist himself, he believes the rolling roads of Rosevears and their surrounds have helped forge Porte's now-famous iron will.
"He's got a little bit of that Tassie grit," he said.
"Richie's always going to be a fighter and we're certainly going to see that in July."
He recalls an amateur race in Europe where Porte crashed out. It wouldn't deter Porte's quest for cycling greatness.
"He went on and won amateur races after that and got picked up by Saxo," he said.
"Before we knew it we were neighbours in Monaco so things change quickly. He's got that fight and determination."
Tour de France favourite
Porte enters this year's Tour de France as race favourite.
This year has seen him claim the Tour Down Under, Tour de Romandie and second place in the Criterium du Dauphine.
His sparkling form has seen former stablemate and three-time Tour de France champion, Chris Froome, declare him the rider to beat.
Sulzberger believes that comment is all part of the mind games.
"They're really good friends and have been teammates in the past. They know each other very well and how to work against each other to psyche each other out. It's going to play out very interesting," he said.
Porte's Tour de France campaign begins on Saturday night Australian time, with a 14-kilometre time trial in the German city of Dusseldorf.
