Simon Gerrans is determined to transform his enforced absence from the Tour Down Under into a lucky break.
The top Australian cyclist is back in Europe as he continues to recover from a broken collarbone.
No racing at home this month means Gerrans can have an extended block of pre-season training before the April Ardennes classics, his first major goals of the year.
Gerrans is the glaring absentee as the Tour starts on Tuesday morning with a 132.6km stage from the Barossa town of Tanunda to the Adelaide suburb of Campbelltown.
The Orica-GreenEDGE team leader was the defending champion at the Tour and last week's Australian road championships.
His preparations were going well, but a pre-Christmas training accident left him with a plate surgically inserted in his left collarbone and his plans transformed completely.
"It's a bit of a different challenge ... it's a good way to approach things this year," he told AAP.
"As bitterly disappointed as I was not to be able to race in Australia, I really tried to focus on the positive side to that.
"It has given me the opportunity to approach the season in a different way.
"On top of that, hopefully it will leave me just a little bit fresher for my goals later in the season."
Gerrans returned to Europe on New Year's Eve and is now at a team training camp in Spain.
He relishes the tough one-day Ardennes races at the end of April - Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Last year his career reached a new high when he became the first Australian to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
He said the collarbone has repaired a lot quicker than he expected, with Gerrans back on the bike a couple of weeks after the accident.
"It's like going back to basics again," he said.
"I have a long time before my next big goal, so it's just allowed me to take a couple of steps back and put in some good foundations."
Gerrans is keeping a close eye on the Australian racing and said his friend South African Daryl Impey would be the best chance for Orica-GreenEDGE to do well overall at the Tour.
Impey was seventh last year and showed he can be a factor in Saturday's crucial Willunga stage by finishing fifth there.
"He's been working pretty hard and he's been around the mark in the past there," he said.
"He's Orica-GreenEDGE's best chance of a good (general classification) result."
Australians Cadel Evans and Richie Porte are the favourites, with compatriot Michael Rogers also in strong form.
But everyone is waiting to see which Europeans have come to the Tour ready to race.
"There's always a European who comes (to Australia) and is a bit of an unknown ... and catches everyone by surprise," Gerrans said.
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