Wout Van Art was wearing his Belgian jersey and distinctive Red Bull helmet as he drove through the small beachside suburb of Touraj to the Wollongong city circuit on Thursday.
Did they now notice who was passing by? The rider, who drew a large crowd following at last year's UCI Road World Championships in the cycling capital of Flanders, faces a very different type of ride this September as he prepares for the World Championships. In a country that is passionate about Australian Rules Football and National Rugby League, cycling is embraced by some enthusiasts. But not all do.
"It's nice to see the occasional fan on the road," Van Aert said at a press conference Thursday evening. 'It's a shame that sometimes you see people who don't like cyclists.'
"I think they're not used to riders being on the road.
Still, the crowd and community embrace certainly grew as the event headed into the road race, the first international road cycling event since its inception in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent border closures curtailed the race for nearly two years, It is almost inevitable that cyclists from all over the country will flock to the event.
"I can feel the World Championships getting closer every day. It's nice to feel that the Australian fans are supporting cycling too."
In Belgium, of course, there was no doubt about that.
"The atmosphere in Belgium is clearly different from last year. I remember that the Thursday reconnaissance was more crowded than the Sunday reconnaissance."
This difference has its advantages. Belgium's reputation for cycling also meant that there was a lot of pressure to be the favorite in their country.
"I don't think the stress during the race was an issue, but I was certainly relieved when the race was over.
"But I'm certainly relieved the race is over," Van Aert recalled.
The situation is different this year in many ways, not just the location. Last year, when Julien Alaphilippe (France) won the title for the second year in a row, he finished eighth, while Van Aert was the lone Belgian leader. This year, he will share that role with Vuelta a EspaƱa winner Remco Evenepoel, and there are lessons to be learned from last year to better handle Sunday's 266.9-km race, which has nearly 4,000 meters of vertical climbing.
"Looking back [at last year's race] after a long time, I think it was won by a really strong competitor.
"It wasn't a hard course for a serious climber, but he played us with some really good tactics. But attacking so far from the finish made the race too hard for guys like me and Mathieu [van der Pol/Holland].
"That's why I was dropped in the final. I had already changed my training for the one-day race a little bit last winter, having experienced the pressure of the World Championships and how to prepare for it."
"I think I already proved in the spring that I was strong in the finals of the longer races.
So does that mean he's in the best shape for Sunday's race, which runs along the coast from Helensburgh to Wollongong and radiates out from coastal cities in a loop?
"It's always hard to say, but I feel ready for the race," Van Aert said. 'After the Tour, we've been building up to this moment.
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