Yet most importantly for Matthews, who was involved in a horrific high-speed crash of more than 20 riders in the early stages of the Tour de France, his confidence and winner's belief is back.

Matthews has ridden most of the race with severely bruised ribs, abrasions and strains all over his body, which says something about the man known as "Bling" in the third and final week of his first Tour.

The turning point for Matthews, 24, came in Friday's 13th stage from Muret to Rodez in the Massif Central of France.

He "wasn't feeling amazing" but said that something clicked as the day unfolded in searing heat. A semblance of the rhythm in his pedal stroke returned and he suddenly thought: "Why not have a go?"

Speaking before Saturday's 178.5-kilometre 14th stage from Rodez to Mende, the Canberra rider said it was a "huge step" and up until that point he thought he "was going to pull out every stage".

It also reflected the belief Orica-GreenEDGE had in him that the depleted team so willingly invested in the chase of the day-long breakaway and set him up for a chance at winning a stage that was suited to his ability to sprint on an uphill finish.

The sight of teammates Canadian Svein Tuft and Briton Adam Yates at the front of the peloton indicated Matthews felt he was up for a crack, for they wouldn't have chased had that not been the case. Sure, Matthews' stage placing of 17th behind Belgian winner Greg Van Avermaet​ (BMC) was not quite the result they had hoped for.

But it was significant that his desire to try to win was intact despite the wounds he was suffering.

"Maybe I could have pulled off a result, but in the end it was nice to be there in the finale," Matthews said.  "After a big crash, normally I get a little scared in finales.

"So it was nice to be back fighting for position in the finale, trying to go for the win. To get up when I thought I was going to pull out every stage before is a huge step."

Asked to describe how hard those days have been since the crash, Matthews said: "It's the wounds of the crash, the skin that I took off plus the ribs are also still really sore. The traumatic stress is also a bit scary; especially when it wasn't really a stressful situation where the crash was … just someone clipped a wheel at 75km/h."

Matthews said he had also reached a new level of hardness: "The normal me would have just pulled out and said I'm just focusing on the next race. I needed to do this. I needed to push myself to this sort of limit to know where I can go to."

Matthews has now set his sights on what is probably his last realistic opportunity for a stage win – Monday's 16th stage from Bourg-de-Peage​ to Gap. The 201km stage includes a second-category climb, from which there is a long descent to the finish that would suit a breakaway.

"That's the next one that suits my capabilities," Matthews said. "Hopefully I can take some good confidence out of [stage 13] … that I was there and around the mark with the best riders in the world when I am still not back in 100 per cent shape."

Whether he delivers or not, Matthews desperately wants to finish the Tour on Sunday. He will have to survive four days in the Alps from Wednesday to Saturday to get there.

"It's coming on my mind now that we are getting quite close now," he said. "I think I've gotten through the harder days that I am going to experience – getting through those mountains stages [in the Pyrenees] with only half my breath."