Sean Lee is a cycling fan and a BPL Citizen journalist.

Australian cyclist Michael Rogers will go into next week's Paris-Nice stage race as one of the favourites. The Team Sky rider, along with team mate Bradley Wiggins, will be vying strongly for overall honours. But for Rogers, it is a favouritism that stems from the disappointment of four years ago when he crashed out of the world's most famous cycling event.

'Dodger' had begun stage eight of the 2007 Tour de France 4' 03'' behind race leader Linus Gerdemann. The Australian had already achieved fame by winning three world time trial championships (2003 - 2005), but had sacrificed some of his TT power in a bid to improve his climbing and become a notable stage racer, his focus being to capture one of the Grand Tours, the Tour de France in particular.

By the halfway mark of stage eight the narrow French roads had began to twist their way through the mountains and Rogers found himself with a group of riders who had broken away from the chasing peleton. More than that, he had whittled down the four minute deficit to Gerdemann and had become the 'virtual' leader of the Tour himself.

But the bliss was to be short lived. Moments later Rogers had slid into a roadside barrier after having his wheels swept out from under him on a steep descent.

A shaky Rogers remounted his bike, but his shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the impact, was shattered. He manfully battled on, but the TV pictures being beamed back to Australia were heartbreaking as a distraught and broken Rogers finally dismounted his bike in tears and slumped inconsolably into the back of his team's support vehicle. The dream was over.

While Cadel Evans went on to claim second place in a drug affected final result, Rogers looked to the future but was unable to recapture the form or fitness that had seen him briefly lead the Tour in 2007.

Continually knocked down by illness and injury over the following two years, it wasn't until 2009 that the frustrated Rogers was able to regain the type of conditioning in his legs that would enable him to again be competitive in major races. Solid overall performances at the Giro d'Italia and Tour of California proved that the popular Australian was back on track, but was he once again ready to seriously threaten the leaders at a three week Grand Tour?

After a difficult Tour de France in 2010, the answer from the man himself was a resounding 'no'. But it was not through a loss of motivation or unwillingness to put in the hard work. Rather, strong overall wins in shorter one week stage races such as the Tour of California and the Vuelta a Andalucia have seen Rogers change his priorities.

And now, as the European season kicks off, and the first of the major stage races approach, Michael Rogers will once again be able to showcase his true talents, albeit over one week rather than three.