Without pausing to think about it, he turned round, caught up and introduced himself.

It transpired that as interested as Hyde was in professional cycling, so Porte was in Hyde’s career.

Thus began a friendship that sees the unlikely pair in weekly contact and continuing to learn from each others experience.

Hyde is a South-Australian-born psychiatrist who took up cycling when he moved to Launceston eight years ago.

Porte said the 41-year-old father-of-three has become a valuable confidant in a sport that can be won as much by the head as the legs.

“George is worth his weight in gold for me because cycling is such a tough mental sport,” said the two-time Paris-Nice winner whose 2017 goal is to improve on last year’s fifth-place Tour de France finish.

“So to have someone like George, who is out there with me on the bike and sees how we suffer, you just can’t beat that.

“It’s not your usual doctor-patient relationship because he actually gets out there and suffers too and is quite a talented rider in his own right.”

The relationship is a two-way street.

Hyde is a cycling fan whose achievements include winning the masters race at the Stan Siejka Launceston Classic.

“I’m interested in talking to a pro cyclist and Richie is interested in the psychological aspects of racing and that makes it a fun day for both of us.

“Riding with other cyclists all the time you could get a bit sick about just talking cycling so we talk more about life in general.

“Guys at the top of cycling are so close together in their physical capacity. What changes is the mental approach to the sport and I think there could be a lot more gains in that area than just spending another 10 hours on the trainer.

“It’s the same principal helping someone from illness to being well as it is trying to find success.”

Hyde jokes that when Porte is training in Tasmania, riders queue up to join him but he systematically wears each one out.

He limits his own exposure to the treatment to Tuesdays and the pair are never short of conversation, or indeed laughter, on their five-hour Scottsdale circuits.

Given Hyde’s credentials and Porte’s ever-smiling demeanour, it’s difficult not to think of them as a strange case of Mr Chuckle and Dr Hyde, with apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson.

A year after sharing the BMC leadership role at the Tour de France with American Teejay van Garderen, Porte will have outright responsibility this year – an added burden Hyde is helping to manage.

“The challenge of being team leader has a huge expectation and that’s a big weight just making sure you don’t fall off,” Hyde said.

“People think all you have to do is ride up a hill but it’s a huge responsibility and burden and learning to handle that is very important.

“When Richie is feeling good he rides well, and we saw that at the Tour Down Under.”

Porte, whose victories on the South Australian tour’s two hill-top finishes earned him the overall title and leadership in the WorldTour rankings, is ready for the challenge.

To date, his career has largely been supporting high-profile team leaders, frequently giving up opportunities for personal success to assist the likes of Alberto Contador, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

As they clock up 3516 kilometres circumnavigating France in July, Porte will find himself in that elite bracket, vying with rival team leaders for overall glory.

A Tour overview on the sport’s definitive website cyclingnews reduces the number of prime candidates to just four.

“Chris Froome (Team Sky) … will be aiming for his fourth Tour de France title,” it states. “Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Richie Porte (BMC Racing) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) are expected to challenge.”

After a 2016 campaign blighted by an untimely puncture and bizarre crash at the Tour and a frightening accident at his debut Olympics, the 32-year-old looked recuperated, refreshed and ready as he prepared to head back to Europe this week.

“It’s a big season for me,” he said. “I’ve got sole leadership in the Tour de France and while that’s five months away I really feel I’ve got my season off to a good start and I’m super motivated for this year.”

The trademark Porte smile returns as he adds: “I got all the bad luck out of the way last year hopefully and am really ready to show the world what a little Tassie battler has got.”

In his six weeks home away from the European winter, Porte has completed more than 30 Lilydale-Scottsdale-Sideling loops and his home-state pride clearly extends beyond his Tasmanian-shaped pendant.

“I get a bit of everything on the rides. There’s a few people that don’t like us out on the roads much but the majority seem to enjoy it.

“I guess I frequent Scottsdale so much that you get a few cars that recognise you and give you a thumbs up and that means the world to me because I’m a proud Tasmanian and that sort of stuff is really humbling.”

Whatever position Porte occupies on Sunday, July 23, after the Tour’s 21^st and last stage from Montgeron to the Champs Elysees, he knows he will still have the support of plenty of Scottsdale farmers and at least one Launceston psychiatrist.