Struggle street makes way for the High Road

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Rogers is thoughtful and relaxed(Image credit: Greg Johnson)

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That natural ability is reflected in his record in races against the clock. Rogers finished on the podium twice in the U23 time trial event at the world championships before going on to secure the senior title in the same discipline for three consecutive years - 2003 (Hamilton, Canada), '04 (Verona, Italy) and '05 (Madrid, Spain). Add to this various national track titles, a Tour Down Under crown and a Commonwealth Games silver medal before his triple time trial success, and Michael Rogers was hot property for prospective employers.

Those prospective employers included the likes of QuickStep and T-Mobile, both of who have employed the Australian at different stages of his career; an indication of the level of their regard is the fact he became a stagiare with Mapei-QuickStep in 2000 at the age of just 20. It was at the next incarnation of this squad, QuickStep - Davitamon, that Rogers got his first taste of the Tour de France in 2003. He rode for Richard Virenque in the mountains and finished 42nd on general classification, an amazing result that illustrated what he was capable of over three weeks.

Having already ridden three editions of the Tour de France by the time he secured his third TT crown in Madrid, Rogers began to believe in his ability to do big things at the loftier heights of Grand Tour general classification battles. That 42nd had been added to with a 22nd and 41st overall in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and a subsequent move to 'strip' the muscle required to gain momentum in time trials meant his training regimen focused on becoming a 'climbing machine'.

Rogers' wounds recovered, but he didn't make the startline at last year's Tour de France for another reason - severe illness. A case of Epstein-Barr virus forced him to miss a large chunk of last season, although he says that the support from Stapleton and the entire management at High Road has been fantastic. "With the sickness and everything I probably couldn't have been in a better team," says Rogers.

He repaid them sooner than that, with the Australian taking sixth in the Olympic road race in Beijing last season, albeit wearing a different jersey - that of the national team. It was proof that he was getting back to his best form. A win in the time trial at this year's Australian national championships was further proof, although it begged the question: Will Rogers get back to concentrating on time trials?

"It's a hard race to say, 'I'm going to win'. It's hard to say because it's easier to lose than it is to win. I'm going to go in with an open mind," he adds. It displays the maturity he has developed that generally only comes with a struggle - and over the last two years there's been plenty of that. It also comes with the territory of being a father. Rogers and his Italian wife Alessia have twin daughters Sofia and Matilde, and although Alessia struggled with the birth, all is well at home.

It was obvious during the Tour Down Under that local fans were happy to have one of their favourite sons back on the road, although some observers may have written him off when it comes to France in July. Rogers says that suits him perfectly. "That's the plan; hopefully I'll slip under the radar a little bit. I'm also a little bit wiser now, with six Tours de France under my belt - you never know."

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