Richie Porte is in a contract year, meaning there will be handsome profit if he becomes the second Australian to win the Tour de France.
Porte is one of the favourites in the three-week Grand Tour, which starts on Saturday night (AEST) in the German city of Dusseldorf.
This is the first time an Australian has had a legitimate chance of winning the Tour since Cadel Evans made history with his 2011 title and finished seventh the following year.
Porte backed himself two years ago by leaving the powerful Team Sky and joining BMC, which was Evans' team when he won the Tour.
Last year Porte finished fifth -- the first time he made the Tour top 10 -- and but for some bad luck could have taken second overall.
At 32, Porte is in his prime as a pro cyclist and this next contract is crucial.
A strong Tour de France performance next month would set him up for the rest of his career.
While Porte and BMC have been great for each other, the Tasmanian is keeping his options open.
"Look, I'm really happy at BMC, moving there has obviously worked well," he told AAP.
"But you also have to listen to what other teams might say and weigh that up as well."
Like Evans in 2011, Porte has had an ideal lead-up to the Tour with a string of impressive results.
Porte only lost the overall lead at the key lead-up race to the Tour, the Criterium Dauphine earlier this month, when other top riders effectively worked together during the final stage.
The Australian warned that he took careful note of which riders attacked him.
"There's a lot of karma in this sport, you never know when you might need a favour from someone else," Porte said.
Porte also noted that the Tour de France is raced differently to a one-week stage race such as the Dauphine.
Plus, he will have a stronger team around him.
The main knock on Porte is how he would cope with the relentless pressure that comes with wearing the Tour's famed yellow jersey as overall leader.
Unlike his rivals, such as his great friend and three-time Tour champion Chris Froome, Porte has never been in that position.
Indeed, Porte has never won a Tour stage.
By contrast, Evans had been through the stress of being the Tour leader several times before his 2011 masterpiece.
But this will be Porte's seventh Tour and he was a key domestique for Froome in two of his wins, so the Australian is no stranger to what is required for success.
Porte is also well aware of how lucky he is to be in this position.
"Most of my family are 'tradies' back in Launceston; if it wasn't for pro cycling that's probably what I'd be doing," he said.
"When you think about it, it's a privilege for us to have this as our job.
"I'm really excited for next month; I'm also nervous, for sure, but I feel ready."
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