Beginning his day with Fritz, a scary-looking but harmless rottweiler, Porte methodically prepares his sustenance and checks his bike before heading off well before the 6.24am sunrise.

In July, Tasmanian cycling fans will be positioned in front of television screens past midnight to monitor the progress of the leaders in the Tour de France.

And yet at the moment they may be able to see one of them just by opening their curtains at an equally ungodly hour.

He may not be riding at quite the same intensity, but the cyclist in the distinctive red and black lycra battling tens of thousands of inebriated fans through the Alps and Pyrenees is indeed the same one passing a few disinterested cows in Lebrina and Nabowla.