Super coach Glenn Doney says Matthews is the "natural" talent, while Haas is "tenacious", but he believes both can get the same "outcome".

Matthews was meant to make his Tour debut last year, but a training crash just days before the start ruled him out.

Now he'll suit up for Orica-GreenEDGE alongside Cannondale-Garmin's Haas in the first stage of this year's edition in Utrecht, Holland, on Saturday.

The pair both came through the ACT Academy of Sport under the tutelage of Doney, before emerging on the world stage.

Haas likened getting picked for the Tour to playing in an AFL Grand Final.

He started out as a mountain biker before Doney convinced him to swap dirt tracks for lycra.

The 26-year-old turned professional in 2012, a year after Matthews, having impressed with wins in the Herald Sun Tour and Japan Cup in 2011.

Now he's made it to the biggest stage of all, watched by millions of people around the world, and he's walking onto that stage alongside Matthews.

Given Matthews' heart-breaking crash last year, Haas joked he was starting to get nervous about anyone who coughed, worried he could get sick in the lead-up to the big race.

"It's pretty cool, we actually grew up together on the bikes through the ACT Academy of Sport, coached by Glenn Doney when we were 16 or 17," Haas said.

"It's sort of been quite a cool synergy how we've both come up through the sport.

"He's taken it to incredible levels and he's an absolute superstar, [but] putting Michael's success aside, for me it feels just incredible that two young boys from Canberra - a pretty unassuming place in the world -  are taking on the world's best again.

"Michael and I will both be pinching ourselves."

Their paths have been different and yet the same. Matthews was discovered in an ACTAS talent identification session, as opposed to Haas' mountain biking roots.

They both impressed Doney as talents that could make it, Matthews through his natural ability and Haas through his desire.

He started working with Matthews in about "2005 or 2006", with Haas coming along in 2007.

"They both like to hurt themselves, they're both perfectionists and like to get it right. They didn't look for shortcuts and they both enjoyed riding their bike, they loved it," Doney said.

"Michael's more of the natural athlete, whereas Nathan is tenacious and has to work that little bit harder for it, but he'll get to the same outcome.

"I'll be pretty proud and pretty excited. It's been a dream for both of them to ride the Tour de France."

Matthews already has four grand tour stage wins - saluting twice in the last two Giro d'Italia and three times in the past two Vuelta a Espana - and he's widely tipped to add a Tour stage to that.

Haas has the same goal, but he's trying not to have an "outcome focus".

The former Marist student also has a job to do, which is working for Cannondale's three general classification riders - Andrew Talansky, Dan Martin and Ryder Hesjedal.

Haas is a similar rider to Matthews - not a pure sprinter, but a bit of a hybrid.

He's able to get over a climb and have a kick at the end in a reduced bunch sprint.

"I'm more of a 'puncheur', which in cycling terms is someone who gets over climbs and can still sprint at the end," Haas said.

"I'm hoping to take my own opportunities, but we've got three guys who are very well poised for the general classification, so my first point of call is just making sure all those guys get through the stages safe and sound.

"Obviously I want to win a stage, that's a dream of everyone, but you can't be too outcome focused, you have to be process focused and ... then the opportunity comes that's when the racing instincts have to kick in."

TOUR DE FRANCE

Saturday: Stage one, individual time trial, Utrecht, Holland, 10pm. TV Time: Live on SBS One.