After another poor showing from my predictions last weekend I'm relying on some help from some Aussies and their wheels this weekend! Last week's predictions were some of the worst ever since this blog started with only two correct, both from the sport of Rugby League, but having said that my highlight was the great performance from Darren Clarke in winning the Open at Sandwich and keeping up Northern Ireland's run of winning majors in the last year and a bit.
As highlighted above in order to get back on track I'm selecting three Aussies, two using two wheels and one on four wheels this weekend. I'll start with the Tour de France which reaches it's climax in little over 24 hours time with the final time trial in Grenoble today and then the final stage finishing on Paris' Elyssian Fields tomorrow.
This year's tour has had everything so far and with the final two stages to go the podium is yet to be sorted, as are the Green and White Jerseys. Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck have been in and around the top of the race since it started three weeks ago and it looks like one of them will triumph in Paris tomorrow but what would be a delight to see is if they can be joined on the podium by the French sensation Thomas Voeckler who has been a distinguished leader of the tour for much of the last two weeks. My prediction though is for Evans to become the first Australian to win the Tour de France because of his superior time-trialling ability.
Before I move on there is also a prediction for the final stage tomorrow which unless there is only a couple of seconds between the overall contenders will come down to the sprinters, and of course there is only one realistic prediction, the current leader of the points jersey, the winner in Paris for the last two years and the first rider in 99 Tours de France to have won at least four stages in four consecutive races - Manxman Mark Cavendish. He may not be to everyone's taste - probably because he's a Brit who knows not just how to win, but how to do it continually and in the biggest events. In cycling they don't come any bigger than Le Tour and Cavendish's name is already up there with the greats of this fantastic race, even though he will never win the overall event. I will be shouting Go Cav at the screen tomorrow afternoon and hopefully so will every other Brit who loves their sport and British winners!
Back to the Aussies again now, as the GP circus moves to Germany where for a quarter of the drivers this year this will be their home GP, not least current World Champion, Sebastian Vettel who I am growing to like week by week for both his in and out of car persona. However, whilst he would dearly like to win his home race for the first time, has finished in the top two of every race this year, in my twisted mind and logic I'm not adding him to my predictions but going for his Aussie teammate Mark Webber to win and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to make the podium.
Whilst on the Motorsport theme and Aussies the Moto GP season is at the mid-way point of the season and the last four races have produced four different winners with undoubtedly the greatest rider on the grid not in the mix on his uncompetitive Ducati. Aussie Casey Stoner leads the Championship going to Laguna Seca in the US and it's amazing corkscrew turn come hill! I'm prediction Stoner to win but on his "home" circuit, Ben Spies to make the podium.
Unbelievably, the football season kicks off in Scotland today - I checked the diary and it still is July for another week or more, and so whilst I may disagree with such an early start I will make a prediction and that is for current Premier League Champions, Rangers, under new manager Ally McCoist to win at home against Hearts.
At this time of year we expect the sound of leather on willow to be the main sound of sport in the UK and this week the first Test Match between England and India started at Lords. After Kevin Pietersen's fine performance with the bat and with England having the chance to become the number one rated country in the world if they can win this series by two tests I'm going for an England win.
Final predictions this weekend are back to where I've had some successes recently and that is the sport of Rugby League which features the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup this weekend. I'm backing Wigan to win at Warrington in what is undoubtedly the big game of the weekend and St. Helens to triumph over Hull KR.
In summary, come on the Aussies:
Tour de France
Evans to win Le Tour at 11/17
Cavendish to win final stage at 6/11
German GP
Webber to win at 6/1
Alonso to podium at 12/25
Moto GP at Laguna Seca
Stoner to win at 5/2
Speies to podium at 15/8
Scottish Football
Rangers to defeat Hearts at 4/9
Test Cricket
England to beat India at Lords at 39/10
Challenge Cup Rugby League
Wigan to win at Warrington at 25/19
St. Helens to defeat Hull KR at 1/5
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