Spratt 2nd at Tour Down Under after display of force

After coming so close to victory the day before, the Trek-Segafredo team were fired up to give their all on the final stage of the Tour Down Under. Team leader Amanda Spratt had already shown she was the strongest climber in the field, so the Team devised a plan to launch the Australian’s attack on Corkscrew road, the toughest climb in the three-day race.

“We had a plan, the Team positioned me perfectly into Corkscrew; Lauretta went, Brodie went,” explained Spratt. “I attacked exactly the way I wanted to, but Grace [Brown] was having a fantastic day and I couldn’t get quite as much time on her as I wanted by the top. It’s never nice when you know that Grace Brown is chasing you on a downhill like that. I was hoping I could get there but she caught me and forced me to go on the front, which I wasn’t very happy about. Honestly, she was just stronger at the finish there.”

Spratt was the main animator of the final two stages, but was agonizingly caught within the final kilometer on both occasions. However, she doesn’t leave empty handed, as her attack on Corkscrew road was strong enough to create a significant time gap to the peloton. The Australian ends the race with 2nd on the stage, 2nd overall and, quite rightly, the title of Queen of the Mountains.

Spratty’s performance was about much more than second place on the day. There were many positives to take away from the three-day race: the Trek-Segafredo team looked like they had been riding together for years, such was the show of teamwork, however in reality, over half of the Tour Down Under team was formed of new arrivals. On a personal note for Amanda, after an extended period sidelined due to injury, it felt great to be back at the pointy end of things.

“I could ride away from everyone on the climb and climbing is my thing so it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward. I feel like I’m back and it feels great to be able to inflict the pain on the climbs. I gave it everything and didn’t finish with anything left. I have no regrets really, I’m just so pleased and thankful to my Team for supporting me here. Second in my first WorldTour race [of 2023], I couldn’t be happier. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead!”