Professional peloton journeyman Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil-DCM) is riding the Santos Tour Down Under with a very special honour.
Mol has been bestowed with the title of the ‘2012 obscure pro’, an initiative started by the Port Adelaide Cycling Club to help give a rider who perhaps normally doesn’t get as much attention from the crowd his own personal tifosi.
Last year, the rider selected was Angel Madrazo (Movistar), while Arthur Vichot (FDJ) was honoured the year before, with branded t-shirts, autograph requests, and road art all common occurrences.
The Vacansoleil-DCM team embraced the title and contacted Port Adelaide Cycling Club to see what they had planned this year, only to find that things weren’t quite as organised as they have been previously.
"I’m really enjoying my time here, it’s a great country," said Mol on Thursday. "But so far most of the attention has been over twitter. I have lots of online supporters thanks to this role, but not so many real supporters out there. I saw all the pictures from last year, and I was excited. But so far that hasn’t happened."
Things changed for the Dutchman on Friday’s stage four to Tanunda, however, when he not only met some of his fans, but got himself a nice little souvenir. On Saturday's stage to Willunga he noticed even more.
"It’s nice, it’s a little honour, and yeah for sure it’s fun," said Mol. "My girlfriend keeps calling me up and asking ‘have you seen your fans’, and we laugh. It’s always great to have more support. It’s really added to the experience."
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Alex Hinds is a graduate of Economics and Political Science from Sydney University. Growing up in the metropolitan area of the city he quickly became a bike junkie, dabbling in mountain and road riding. Alex raced on the road in his late teens, but with the time demands of work and university proving too much, decided not to further pursue full-time riding.
If he was going to be involved in cycling in another way the media seemed the next best bet and jumped at the opportunity to work in the Sydney office of Cyclingnews when an offer arose in early 2011.
Though the WorldTour is of course a huge point of focus throughout the year, Alex also takes a keen interest in the domestic racing scene with a view to helping foster the careers of the next generation of cycling.
When not writing for Cyclingnews Alex is a strong proponent of the awareness of cyclists on the road in Sydney having had a few close run-ins with city traffic in the past.
