Arthur Vichot

One tradition of the Tour Down Under is that the fans choose an unknown rider and treat him the way they would a star, by mobbing him at hotels and painting his name on the road.

The rider must be a non-English speaking domestique who most likely will not get a start at a major race and will simply act as a bottle carrier.

[6] He also cracked the top ten in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, finishing eighth.

[7] In 2012, Vichot conquered the biggest victory of his career up to that point in the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, a mountainous affair that led the riders across the Col de la Colombière.

[8] In 2013 and 2016, Vichot won the French National Road Race Championships and the right to wear the coveted tricolor jersey in the Tour de France.

Vichot at the 2010 Tour de Romandie .