A significant dental issue has marred Michael Matthews' Paris Olympics buildup and had him doubting whether he would start the Tour de France.
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The Australian cycling star, who will lead the three-man team in the August 3 Games road race, might need the problematic tooth removed once the Tour ends on July 21.
But Matthews' health and form have improved steadily so far during the three-week Tour and he remains confident about what he can achieve in his Olympics debut.
"I was a bit doubtful if I was even going to start the race. Now that I'm here and it's the second rest day and I'm feeling (better) than at the start, I'm super-motivated and happy with where I'm at," he told AAP from France.
"I had blood in my mouth through the Tour de Suisse (last month) ... obviously having a tooth problem is not great for your athletic performance.
"So it's been a bit of a setback, not the greatest feelings on the bike."
The 33-year-old Jayco AlUla rider had been enjoying an outstanding season, finishing second at the Milan-Sanremo classic.
He crossed the line third at the Tour of Flanders, but controversially the race judges relegated him to 11th.
Then last month, a back molar tooth started to grow through and he needed a few days off the bike after the Tour de Suisse.
Once the Tour de France ends in Nice next Sunday, Matthews will return home to nearby Monaco and will have another dental appointment.
"Now it's getting a bit better, the legs are starting to come around. The tooth has grown through enough of the gum and is in the right place, but I definitely want to get it checked out before the Olympics," Matthews said.
"The amount of guys (fellow cyclists), you mention your problem and they've been through the same thing. At this level, you can't be five- 10-per cent down, otherwise you're not in the game.
"It sucks. It's obviously really bad timing and until this point, everything was going really well."
Matthews has managed only one 10th placing on a Tour de France stage so far, but he remains upbeat about what is possible in Paris.
Even if the tooth has to come out, he is confident there will be enough time to recover before the Games.
"With the training I've done to this point, I could afford to have a few easy days. Leading into the Olympics, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing anyway to take a bit of rest," he said.
"It definitely wouldn't give me any setbacks.
"I've definitely shown in the classics this year that it (one-day events) is my style of racing now.
"I've really been focussing on the classics, the last few years."
Simon Clarke will be the road captain for the Australian team and Luke Plapp will provide the grunt.
"We have a great, strong team - really experienced with Clarkey and a lot of horsepower and young motivation with Plappy," Matthews said.
"Hopefully the dream does come true ... all signs are pointing to a great result in Paris."
Matthews still remains unimpressed about his Flanders result, calling it a "strange relegation".
"It was a brutal day - to disqualify (relegate) me for this, I even asked the guys behind me and they also said I did nothing wrong," he said.
Australian Associated Press
