Cadel Evans knows exactly what is going through Richie Porte's head.
The only Australian to win the Tour de France has backed his compatriot to bounce back from Sunday night's horrifying crash.
Evans also had to overcome significant setbacks before his 2011 Tour triumph.
Porte went into the Tour as the strongest rider, but the Tasmanian's campaign ended in the 72km/h crash on the technical Mont du Chat descent near the end of stage nine.
"He's certainly in good spirits at the moment ... if you're down already, it's not ideal," Evans said.
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"All of the top riders over the past few years - it probably counts for top sportspeople in general - at some point in their career they have a major setback that really holds them back.
"More often than not, they come back better.
"So hopefully that's going to be the case for Richie."
Evans briefly returned from the Tour for Tuesday's launch in Geelong of the January 27-28 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race.
He was runner-up at the Tour in 2007 and '08, had a disastrous race in '09 and his '10 campaign was ruined by a cracked elbow.
Then came Evans' 2011 Tour masterclass.
"People rarely go to a race like the Tour and go in and win right away," he said.
"I read a quote from Richie in the media - 'no-one has an easy way into cycling and no-one has an easy way to the top of the Tour'.
"You speak with anyone - Chris Froome or Brad Wiggins - the road they travelled to get there, it was pretty tough."
First and foremost, Evans said it is critical that Porte's fractured pelvis heals properly.
Porte also has a broken collarbone, but they are a dime a dozen among pro cyclists.
"That's something you have to be really careful with, that it doesn't have any compromise in the long-term, especially as a bike rider," Evans said of Porte's pelvic damage.
"The left-right leg strength is something you're really going to have to be careful with."
Evans also backed Tour organisers for the controversial Mont du Chat descent, saying the riders knew it would be tricky.
"They did ride that descent in the Criterium de Dauphine (last month), so everyone knew that descent," he said.
"I don't think it's correct to blame the race organisers."
Evans would not comment on Porte specifically, but he said all Tour contenders must have top-level descending skills.
