When the Launceston rider made the high-profile jump from Sky to BMC, observers asked whether he or American Teejay van Garderen would take the lead role.

The Swiss-based team that backed Cadel Evans to the 2011 title, insisted they could work together and Porte points to the Tour honour board for proof.

In 2011, Leopard-Trek's Andy and Frank Schleck finished second and third, a year later Sky's Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome came first and second and Movistar's Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde were second and third last year.

And after eight stages of the 2013 race, Froome and Porte sat first and second overall, 34 seconds ahead of the field.

"BMC have always had a strong team and won the Tour with Cadel," Porte said.

"I get on well with Teejay, we're honest with each other and I don't see why we can't tactically help each other. It's been done before."

After four years with Sky, during which he assisted Wiggins (2012) and Froome (2013 and '15) to three Tour crowns, Porte decided it was time to push for his own victory.

His final year at the British-based team witnessed a seemingly-jinxed assault on the Giro d'Italia, a Grand Tour race which Porte had sought to win since finishing seventh and taking the young rider's classification in 2010.

A controversial penalty for accepting a replacement wheel from compatriot but rival competitor Simon Clarke was compounded by a crash within sight of the neutral 3km cut-off point as Porte's race unravelled.

"It cannot get much worse than that," he reflected.

"To be in the form of your life, having had a dream start to the season, winning big races and right where you want to be halfway through the race and then see it taken away from you by bad luck was hard to take.

"I was so excited for the Giro last year and was sitting third going into the mountains, just where I wanted to be, and then it turned into a disaster.

"To lose time over something like changing a wheel was really hard to take.

"People said what a great thing to see in a sport with so many problems and then I had Michael Matthews pulling turns for me even though he's on a different team, the Australian mateship was really good to see.

"But I get a call from [team principal] Dave Brailsford saying they wanted to give me a two-minute penalty and that was when reality kicked in.

"Then to have a crash just 100 metres from the 3km cut off, how unlucky is that? And I then had to ride Vasil Kiryienka's bike to the finish and he's about a foot taller than me. I looked like a 10-year-old on his dad's bike."

The drama of 2015 seemed a world away as Porte teamed up with Hobart triathlete Hayden Armstrong on the familiar Scottsdale loop training ride this week.

In his first world tour race for his new team, the Tour Down Under, Porte finished second to fellow Aussie Simon Gerrans and claimed his third straight Willunga stage win.

This followed the Australian road championships where he finished second to BMC teammate Rohan Dennis.

Looking ahead to a season in which he seeks to hit top form in July and August, Porte was not concerned about being so successful so early.

"I think it's a good thing. I started training in late November after my honeymoon, that was a full month later than last year, so to be second at TDU to someone like Simon Gerrans, who I think is in the best condition of his life, and to win on Willunga again was a really nice feeling."

His 2016 program begins with the Tour of Oman but he is targeting Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya being reigning champion of both, and the Tour of Romandie in Switzerland.

He said the Swiss team had a different dynamic to the British mentality behind Sky.

"To be honest every team has followed Sky's approach but BMC is a bike-manufacturing company so their equipment is second to none and I'm actually happier with my new time trial bike.

"I'm happy with the move. BMC has always shown itself to be a brilliant team. It has a real Aussie flavour to it with Cadel having won the Tour there and I'm a lot more popular with the Aussie fans than I ever was at Sky.

"It was nice to be cheered for a change at the Tour Down Under."