The 28-year-old officially ends his eight-year involvement in the WorldTour ranks at the end of the year, but firmly believes his days of big results are not over.

It is easy to forget how much Goss has achieved on a bike, becoming the first Australian to win the monument classic Milan-San Remo, landing a world championship silver medal (both in 2011) and joining the elite brigade to have won a stage of all three Grand Tours courtesy of GreenEdge’s Tour de France team time trial triumph in 2013.

However, after a disappointing end to his time with Australia’s first top-flight team, the combination of a new employer and fatherhood have given the former track world champion a new perspective on his pro cycling career.

‘‘The last 18 months haven’t exactly been the best of my career,’’ Goss told The Examiner.

‘‘But you’ve got to take the good things with the bad and looking at the positives I still won a stage of the Giro [Tour of Italy], which was the team’s first Grand Tour stage win, I still won a stage of the Tour and that was pretty special to stand with nine good friends on the top step of the Tour in Nice 15 kilometres from my home.

‘‘The things that didn’t work out so well you learn from and move forward.’’

Goss believes Italy-based South African-registered pro-continental team MTN-Qhubeka’s lack of a World Tour licence should not make much difference to his program.

‘‘It’s not really a step down. People think of pro-continental as racing club races, but a few years ago when they set up the Cervelo test team, which is the same as this one now really, they had the Tour de France winner from the year before in Carlos Sastre, they had Thor Hushovd, Simon Gerrans, Heinrich Haussler, so it doesn’t really make a difference on the level of the team.

‘‘If I get the results I want in the races I want and am happy there the licence doesn’t worry me.

‘‘I spoke with two or three different teams and in the end MTN was one of the best fits. The riders that they were getting and the set-up they were putting together I thought was really interesting and exciting.

‘‘To go and race with a group of guys for the classics and the sprints — Tyler Farrar, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Theo Bos, Gerald Ciolek, who also won San Remo — we’re going to have a really strong team there and can really make a difference in the races we want to do well in.

Goss hopes to use the Sun-Tour and Tour of Oman to ease him into races like Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of California and is optimistic that the team will receive a Tour de France invite.

‘‘They did the Vuelta [Tour of Spain] last year and the plan is for the team to try and get a start for the Tour and I think there’s a really good opportunity because we’ve got good enough riders to warrant that spot.’’

Announcing the sprinter’s one-year contract signing in September, the team said: ‘‘The experience and firepower that Goss brings to MTN-Qhubeka complements our team goals for 2015 as we target the spring classics and Grand Tours.’’

After a 10-day training camp in Cape Town, Goss arrived in Tasmania and swiftly resumed training with Monaco neighbours Richie Porte and Chris Froome and former Flowery Gully neighbours Wes and Bernie Sulzberger.

However, while that is preparing him physically, it is time spent with his partner Sarah Nibbs and their daughter Zuri, born in April, which has Goss in a stronger mental frame of mind.

‘‘That’s been great. It’s so exciting watching her learn things. I can take a leaf out of her book and learn from my mistakes on the bike and watching how fast she learns everything is quite cool.

‘‘It gives you more motivation and probably more structure in your life than you’ve had in the past. It definitely gives you a new perspective on life and it’s been great for Sarah and I having her come along.’’

The 2011 Tasmanian athlete of the year and three-time Launceston Classic champion is enjoying being back home, but admitted he does not know which side of the planet he will eventually settle when he retires from cycling.

‘‘I guess it depends on what I do after riding. It’s something I haven’t thought about yet and hopefully don’t have to for a few more years.

‘‘But it’s good to be back in Tassie and racing, and good to see Froomey and Richie here.

‘‘I train with them a little bit in Monaco, it just depends on our programs and what races we’re on. Richie and I see each other quite often, at least once or twice a week we have a coffee or something, and there’s always plenty of talk about what’s happening in Tassie.’’