So you can't blame Canberra rider Nathan Haas for chuckling to himself when he passed Cadel Evans on a couple of stages of the Tour Down Under.

The 24-year-old was the feel-good story of Australia's premier cycling race, finishing fifth overall in a star-studded field.

Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Simon Gerrans claimed his third TDU victory by one second in front of Evans, with Richie Porte in third place.

It was the first time Haas had finished in the top five at a world ranking event.

Haas was 27 seconds adrift from Gerrans and hopes he can use the confidence from his impressive performance as a springboard for the rest of the season.

''I've always known I've had the capacity to be in that front group of riders, but to actually do it is another thing,'' Haas said.

''I had to giggle a couple of times when I beat Cadel or any of those other guys in a particular stage.''

Haas had high expectations for last year's TDU before he was forced to retire when he contracted meningitis.

He was selected for his first Giro d'Italia in May, but suffered a knee injury when he was run over in a large crash involving around 100 riders. ''It never really got any better,'' he said.

''When you're starting to favour the other side of your body, you start to compensate in other ways. From May onwards I never got my season into full swing again.''

He skipped the national championships earlier this month to ensure he would be at peak fitness for the European season. Haas returned to Canberra on Monday night and will work with personal trainer Angus Harding before lining up in the Herald Sun Tour in Victoria from February 5-9.

Completing his second straight Giro d'Italia is one of his main aims this year along with helping his team in several of the one-day classics.

''I want to do something in the Giro, whether it is taking a stage for myself or doing well for my teammate in the general classification,'' he said. ''The season goes for another nine months, but it's a great start to the year.''