Cycling superstar Chris Froome is going into the Herald Sun Tour, blind and unsure of his form.
It is at odds with the meticulous approach that has taken the British rider to two Tour de France titles.
Team Sky have revolutionised cycling with their marginal gains philosophy.
The headline name in this year's Tour has not done reconnaissance on most of the course for his season-opening race and also knows little about most of the other riders in the field.
But Froome is deliberately making a low-key start to the season at this week's five-day Victorian tour.
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He is coming off a long and tumultuous off-season when Froome directly addressed rampant speculation about doping by making physiological data public.
In mid-December, his wife Michelle gave birth to their first child, son Kellan.
And this could be the biggest year of his career, with Froome aiming to defend his Tour title before winning the two road racing gold medals at the Rio Olympics.
"I'm really excited - quietly excited," Froome said.
"It's been a good build-up for me into the season and I'm looking forward to starting racing now.
"This season, there's a lot to race for."
Froome arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday after a week-long team training camp in Adelaide.
His only course research for the Tour was to go over Wednesday evening's short inner-city time trial.
Asked about his goals for the race, Froome replied "good question".
He noted it was five months since he withdrew during the Vuelta a Espana to end his 2015 season.
"Let's see - as much as anything, this week will be a good test for me, to see just where I'm at," he said.
"Hopefully, we get some good riding in at the same time."
There was considerable talk around Froome starting his season at the lower-profile Herald Sun Tour, not last month's WorldTour-opening Tour Down Under.
UCI president Brian Cookson called Sky's decision puzzling.
But Froome immediately fired back on social media, noting he had not competed at the Adelaide race since 2010.
He also wanted more time with his wife and their newborn son.
Asked if he was paid to come to the Herald Sun Tour, Froome replied "certainly not".
So why did he decide to break with a proven schedule over several years and start his season in Australia?
"I've looked at my teammates who have come to Australia ... and seen that for them, it had been a really good period," he said.
"They'd been able to get all their training in - the weather obviously out there is much better than it is over in Europe.
"So for me, I thought it was a no-brainer.
"I don't know, let's see - if it works out, I might be back again."
