Champion Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen admits teammate and countryman Cadel Evans' performance in this month's Tour de France is likely to influence his own racing future as he weighs his options.
McEwen says he is in talks with some major teams about a contract for next year but will give his current Silence-Lotto outfit the chance to make him an offer.
McEwen's contract with the Belgium-based team expires at the end of the year and his future may well hinge on how pre-race favourite Evans fares in the three-week tour starting on Saturday.
If Evans wins, he's sure to command more money which could mean less available for McEwen, a major star in his own right having won the coveted green jersey as the Tour de France's best sprinter three times.
"My current team has indicated that they'd like to be able to hold me but, for them, it's also a question of budget," McEwen told AAP.
"They've got quite a few things to balance up, they've taken on some new riders, for them I think it depends also quite a lot on what Cadel does in this Tour - if he's going to cost them more money or not.
"I'm probably going to talk to them later this week and I said I'll give them a chance to put an offer on the table, but at the moment I'm considering a couple of others where I'm getting close."
McEwen declined to give details of the teams he was speaking to, but said a "couple of teams" were near to making final offers, which he would then consider.
"They're big teams, so it's possible you could see me again at the Tour de France next year, or at most of the big races again next year," he said.
The 36-year-old Queenslander will be looking to add to his 12 stage victories in cycling's most prestigious race.
But Silence-Lotto's focus on ensuring Evans claims the winner's yellow jersey has meant any designs McEwen had on the sprint title have had to take a back seat.
