Those lucky enough to have attended the Australian national road cycling championships in Ballarat earlier this year caught a glimpse of it.
Those who tuned into the telecast of the Criterium du Dauphine caught a big dose of it.
Those shady characters who spend their time lurking around velodromes already know about it.
And now even the fine people of Alberta, Canada are talking about it!
So what is it?
Why, the potential of young Aussie neo-pro Rohan Dennis of course.
Dennis could quite possibly be the next big thing in Australian cycling and his general classification victory at last week’s inaugural Tour of Alberta – his first UCI stage race win – is further confirmation that the 23 year old from Adelaide has what it takes to forge a successful career at the highest levels of the sport.
The 2.1 classified six day race attracted some serious riders.
Peter Sagan won the prologue and a further two stages. Former Tour de France winner Cadel Evans outpointed some handy opponents to claim stage four, while Robert Gesink also came to play.
And as good as it was to see that old stager Evans on the top step of the podium and enjoying his cycling again, it was Dennis who stole the limelight for those of us back in Australia.
The young Garmin-Sharp rider snatched the yellow leader’s jersey away from Sagan after sprinting away from Brent Bookwalter, Damiano Caruso, Patrick Gretsch, Robert Gesink and Steve Morabito to claim victory on the windswept, 170 km stage three.
The top six had broken away from a larger group of 18 with 25 kilometres to go and while BMC’s Bookwalter fancied his chances, he was always worried about the speed of Dennis.
“I was confident of my sprint, but I knew it was going to be tough,” said Bookwalter after the race.
“Dennis had gapped me in the bonus sprints in the past two days. So I knew he was really quick and the guy to beat. I maybe tried to come around him a little too early.”
But for Dennis, the win didn’t come easily.
“The last four kilometres was pretty aggressive so I was lucky I still had some sort of legs to follow Brent – or all of them really – attacking. And I sort of saved some as well for that final sprint.”
Two days later and he was back on the podium as the overall race winner, albeit a humble one.
“It helps that we had a really strong team with a lot of guys who can ride the flats and guys who can ride the hills at the same time,” stated Dennis from beneath a cowboy hat, a prize he can add to the dinosaur fossil he received for his efforts on stage three.
So where to from here for Australia’s brightest rising star?
He appears to be settled at Garmin, a team in which other young Aussies seem to thrive (Lachlan Morton and Steele von Hoff are also being nurtured by the Jonathon Vaughters-led outfit).
For a glimpse into the future though, perhaps we need to take a look back at the development of one of Vaughters’ former pupils – Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Coming from a background of track racing, Wiggins turned himself into a road racer of some ability before a breakout ride at the 2009 Tour de France convinced him further success was obtainable with the right team and preparation.
History shows that, after a couple of stutters, Wiggins turned his third place at the ’09 Tour into first place at the 2012 Tour.
While it would be foolish to suggest Dennis could one day win the Tour de France, he too comes from a track background and is similarly advanced in his road career as Wiggins was at the same age.
But the major weapon they both share and use to lethal advantage is their time trialling ability. In fact they rely on it.
Mixed in among the impressive track performances at Olympic and world championship level and high road race placings across a variety of events are a string of time trial victories and near misses that would make current time trial champion Tony Martin proud.
At under 23 level, Dennis has twice won the national time trial championship (2010, 2012) as well as recording a second (2012) and a fifth (2010) in the same discipline at the under 23 world championships.
Stepping up to elite level this year, he finished behind a rampaging Luke Durbridge in the time trial at the nationals.
He has earned high general classification places on the back of his time trial victories. In 2012 he finished first at Thuringen Rundfahrt and fifth at Olympia’s Tour after being fastest against the clock in both.
But he is far from being a one trick pony.
In 2012 he won the under 23 national road race title (claiming the road race/time trial double) and then took the mountains classification at the Tour Down Under, where he finished fifth on general classification.
But the performance that really lit the fires of excitement beneath tired and jaded cycling journalists was at this year’s Criterium du Dauphine.
After knocking on the elite time trial door all year with top ten performances against the clock at the Tour of California and the Tour of Romandie, Dennis cracked it for the big time at Dauphine.
No, he didn’t win the time trial stage, that honour went to time trial world champ Martin, but he did come second, beating the Sky juggernaut of Chris Froome and Richie Porte, to be thrust into the spotlight courtesy of the yellow jersey he received for taking over the race lead.
With Garmin-Sharp’s nominated team leader Andrew Talansky falling out of contention earlier in the race, the squad put all its energy into protecting Dennis, and he didn’t let them down.
A day later he performed admirably in the hills until finally wilting under the constant pressure applied by Team Sky.
By race end, he was still eighth over all and winner of the young rider classification – a great return by a neo-pro still learning his craft.
And of course, his victory last week at Alberta was also set up on the back of the opening day’s prologue, a ripping 7.3 kilometre solo ride against the clock that netted him second place and precious seconds over his general classification rivals.
His sleek position and ease of motion stands out. He sits lightly atop the bike and is almost arrow like as he cuts through the air, disk wheels humming, chain whirring, eyes peering up from beneath his aerodynamic helmet.
He makes it look so easy.
The people of Ballarat have seen it. The people of Dauphine have seen it. The people at the track have seen it and the people of Alberta have seen it.
Now it is your turn.
Keep an eye on him, you won’t be disappointed.
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