Michael Matthews, who will co-lead the Australian national team with Richie Porte in the elite men's road race at the World Championships in Imola, Italy, on Sunday, is "very selective about the course," and despite not riding this year's Tour de France Despite not having raced this year's Tour de France, he believes he can be competitive for a medal.

Since Matthews is not a member of the Sunweb Trade Team for this year's Tour de France, he will compete in the Italian Grand Tour on Saturday, October 3, where he will be aiming for a stage win in the Giro d'Italia.

First, however, is Sunday's 258.2-km world road race, which starts and finishes at Imola's famous motor racing circuit, with nine laps of 28.8 km, each with two climbs.

"It's certainly a very selective course," Matthews told Cycling News on Saturday. 'The roads are narrow and always tough. It's going to be a hard day on the bike. You need good legs to get through a circuit like this."

The Australian national team will take two approaches to both Porte and Matthews.

"If I don't have a good day and it's a full-blown day for climbers, Richie will be there," Matthews explained. 'The climbs here are steeper and harder than in Yorkshire [the 2019 World Championships road race, where Matthews finished 24th out of 46 climbers]. Last year's climb was shorter and punchier, but here it's longer and more suited to pure climbers. The climb here is stair-stepped and much harder."

"Last year's course suited me, but it also suited many others doing similar races. Recalling the rain and cold of Yorkshire last year, Matthews continued.

"It wasn't my favorite conditions, but it's been a strange season for me this year and I never thought I'd be at Worlds.

"So I'm really happy to be here to compete for another world title instead of watching the Worlds at home on TV in Switzerland. I think it's a unique opportunity to be with the Australians."

"I'm really looking forward to the World Championships.

Matthews did not compete in the Tour, but won the Bretagne Classique-Aust-France at the end of August and took on the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in September.

"It's not bad to be fresh and ready for a one-day race. I can prepare well enough at home." So I don't need any special preparation to be in good shape for a race like this, like the Tour de France. I've been doing everything I can to be in the best shape possible for the race.

"I'm not worried about my preparation or about who has raced the Tour and who has not. It doesn't matter to me."

"I'm not worried about my preparation or about who has run the Tour and who hasn't.

Matthews added that he does not feel he has a point to prove or any "revenge" for not being selected to represent Sunweb in the Tour.

"I just do my best. I didn't do anything in the Tour, but the team did well and I'm happy for them," he said of Sunweb's three stage wins and overall victory won by Marc Hirsch and Søren Kragu Andersen.

"They were a great Tour and I want to achieve something in the Giro. I'm really happy that my last race with the team is the Giro, and I hope it ends well," said the 30-year-old, who will leave Sunweb at the end of this season for the Australian WorldTour's Mitchelton Scott, where he was also a member for three seasons from 2013 to 2016 before joining Sunweb. He will move to.

Asked if he considered himself one of the favorites to win the race on Sunday, Matthews dismissed that expectation.

"I'm not sure who the course suits," he said. I'll have to see how the race unfolds. I can't believe I'm one of the favorites to win ...... That's not true. I'm going to race with the gas pedal on full throttle and see what happens. If the selectivity is low, it's in my favor, and if it's high, it's in Richie's favor

"It's been a dream of mine to wear the same jersey and race together, so we're both very happy