Winning the Tour de France would leave Cadel Evans emotionally and physically drained with just 11 days to recover before riding in the Beijing Olympics.
This week Evans became just the fifth Australian to hold the Tour leader's yellow jersey and he is aiming to make history and become this country's first overall winner in Paris on July27.
While leading the field at the end of 3500km would leave Evans exhausted, Cycling Australia high performance director Shayne Bannan remained confident he would be up to spearheading Australia's Beijing road campaign.
Bannan met this week with Evans and the three other Australian Olympians riding in the Tour, Simon Gerrans, Brett Lancaster and Stuart O'Grady.
''I think if we were looking at a younger rider with less experience, those question marks would start to arise,'' Bannan said.
''Sure, he's going to expend a lot of energy on the Tour and we'll have to talk to him to see how his recovery is going.
''But we think there is enough time between the end of the Tour and the commencement of the [Olympics] cycling program.''
Evans will carry the heaviest load of all of Australia's road cyclists in Beijing. As well as riding in the road race with O'Grady, Gerrans, Matthew Lloyd and Canberra's Michael Rogers, Evans will ride the time trial.
As it stands Australia has just one position in the time trial, but CA is hoping to hear in the next few days if a second position becomes available due to another nation passing up a spot. If that happened, the place would go to three-time world champion Rogers.
Bannan said Evans would have the final word on whether he felt capable of riding.
''Cadel will ride the time trial in Beijing unless it's found he's injured or ill or unless he says he really doesn't feel good enough to be able to compete to medal-winning standard.''
Evans spent his first day in the Tour de France yellow jersey being treated like a rock star although there was at least one vital ingredient missing.
''I don't see any screaming girls here!'' the Australian said after being proudly presented by his Silence-Lotto team at a fancy, sun-drenched ceremony.
Evans started yesterday's 11th stage following Tuesday's rest day with a one-second lead on Luxembourg's Frank Schleck of CSC.
With three tough stages in the Alps to come, as well as a potentially decisive penultimate stage time trial, the battle for the race's big prize is only just beginning.
Evans was happy to soak up the adulation, admitting he had received hundreds of messages from well-wishers who had been following his progress since beginning the race as the favourite.
But he knows there is plenty to do if he is to hold off at least three big rivals in Russia's two-time Tour of Spain winner Denis Menchov, Spaniard Carlos Sastre and Sastre's CSC teammate Schleck.
''It's certainly not over yet, it's more than one step to get to Paris,'' the 31-year-old said. ''For me the planning [for the rest of the race] starts tomorrow, but we'll be riding to defend the jersey.''
Evans's rivals have highlighted potential weaknesses in the fact that his Silence-Lotto team will not stand up to the likes of CSC, whose pace on Monday's 10th stage helped virtually end Alejandro Valverde's yellow jersey dream.
And Evans acknowledged he will have to watch Sastre and Menchov carefully.
''Menchov has won the Tour of Spain and is a proven performer. I think he'll probably move up GC [general classification] the closer we get to Paris,'' Evans said.
Menchov is currently in fourth at 57 seconds behind Evans. AFP