O'Grady confident about bat and bike

By Matt Majendie

Stuart O'Grady is predicting a summer of Australian sporting dominance - both on the cricket pitches of England and over the tarmac of France.

A self-confessed cricket nut, the 31-year-old is completely unfazed about his countrymen's stuttering start to this Ashes summer.

Profile: Stuart O'Grady

He told BBC Sport: "The Aussies are playing a low-key game at the moment and letting you guys win these meaningless games.

"You just wait - we'll start trying again when the real cricket begins. We gave you the Rugby World Cup back in 2003 so we can't go ahead and give you the cricket as well."

The "real cricket" begins on 21 July, the same day as stage 18 of the Tour de France, the sort of stage a breakaway rider like O'Grady would relish.

"Obviously I'm after Aussie success in France more than in England but I think we can pull off both," the good-humoured Cofidis rider said.

"I'm not going to put my foot in it but my aim is to win a stage at least, while Australia should win the Ashes. I guess we'll have to see."

O'Grady has yet to hit his peak in what is the first year of the ProTour but has been consistently in the top 10 in some of the key races this season.

Unsurprisingly, he is unfazed.

"I'm lacking the wins but, when doing ProTour events, wins don't come easily," he said. "In fact, each day race or stage on the ProTour is like a mini-world championship.

"Hopefully things will come together for the Tour. Everything is coming together at right moment and, by the time Tour kicks off, I should be firing on all cylinders."

I'm normally so tired at the end of a stage I'm not in the mood to hang out with friends and family Stuart O'Grady

O'Grady put the finishing touches to his Tour preparations in France last week, riding behind the motorbike of his team coach.

He averaged 50km/h for four to six hours on the bike each day as he worked on his power and speed, which will come in handy for the breakaway rides and sprints he so relishes.

By his side at that final training camp was his wife and young son joining him.

They will be with him when the race starts - "only for a few days" - and be there to greet him at the finish - "if I manage to get my bum to Paris".

"It's difficult being away from them during the race but that's part and parcel of pro cycling," he said. "And anyway, I'm pretty grumpy when the race is on.

"I'm normally so tired at the end of a stage I'm not in the mood to hang out with friends and family.

"But that said, it'll be quite a shock when I see my son - the little sponge - again as he changes to rapidly at the moment."

O'Grady already has a few stages he believes he could win, although he refuses to reveal that to his rivals.

And the veteran of eight Tours insists he is "fairly chilled out" about what will be the 92nd Tour de France.

"I'm sure I'll get a few nerves on Saturday but, at the moment, I'm not really thinking about it," he said.

"I just have to keep myself out of trouble and see how it goes."