Versatile Amanda Spratt has one hand on a fourth Women’s Tour Down Under title after winning Stage 2 on Friday
Can Amanda Spratt be stopped? That is the question, after the Aussie superstar sprinted into the Women’s Tour Down Under lead on Friday as she chases her fourth title.
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Amanda Spratt can on Saturday remind the world just how versatile a rider she is by extending her lead in the Women’s Tour Down Under with an uphill finish in Stirling.
After sprinting her way into the leader’s ochre jersey in Birdwood on Friday, Spratt must now test her climbing legs as well on an undulating 109km through the Adelaide Hills.
The three-time defending champion put one hand on a fourth title on Friday when she out-sprinted American Ruth Winder and German Liane Lippert to win Stage 2 from Murray Bridge to Birdwood.
The victory put Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) in the leader’s jersey by four seconds from Winder (Trek-Segafredo) and five seconds from Lippert (Sunweb) with two stages remaining.
“I was pretty nervous coming into the finish, normally people would not expect me to beat those two riders in a sprint, but I just know that after a really hard race I do actually have a pretty good sprint so I’m pretty excited about to pull that off,” Spratt said.
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TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Spratt was there to finish the job, but the work of her team Mitchelton-Scott inflicted the damage which helped blow the race to bits on Friday.
Jessica Allen, Gracie Elvin, Grace Brown, Lucy Kennedy and Georgia Williams all put pressure on the peloton by increasing the tempo approaching 30km to go and eventually the bunch cracked.
Their efforts left five riders at the front including Kennedy, who continued to drive the pace up the Christmas Tree Ridge climb and with 10km remaining Spratt took care of Winder and Lippert in a three-up sprint into Birdwood.
“Jess, Georgia and Gracie did an awesome lead out into the first longer climb and then Lucy just let rip at the bottom,” Spratt said.
“From that point Lucy stayed on the front and drove it for 10km into the final climb so Grace and I could one-two and try to get rid of the others.
“In the end I couldn’t get rid of Liane and Ruth, but I decided at that point the GC was more important so the three of us were actually working almost all of the way to the finish.”
WINDING UP
A stage win at the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under continues to narrowly elude Ruth Winder after she was second in Stirling last year and finished ninth, 10th and 11th in 2017.
“It was a bit of cat and mouse in the finish and Brown coming back (at the end) was definitely making me nervous,” she said.
“I am happy to get second – I think I’m lacking a little bit of that top-end right now since this is just the second race of the season and also in January.”
BIGGEST TEST TO COME
Two stages down, two to go and the race is almost certain to be decided in Stirling.
If Spratt, as most expect, hangs on and has good legs at the uphill finish she can seal a fourth overall victory.
The 109km stage from Nairne features four tricky climbs including the Queen of the Mountain – Kywarra Climb – just 16km from the finish.
“It doesn’t change a lot for (Saturday) other than that we have a couple of seconds advantage and that everyone is going to look at us,” Mitchelton-Scott director Martin Vestby said.
“It’s going to be a stage where we have to defend and create the race again.”
The race’s finale, Stage 4, is a criterium through the city on Sunday evening.
Spratty, the three-time Australian champion replaces fellow Aussie Chloe Hosking – who won Stage 1 in Macclesfield on Thursday – in the leader’s ochre jersey with two stages remaining.
Winder (Trek-Segafredo) is second overall four seconds behind Spratt and Lippert is third at five seconds.
Stage 3 is from Nairne to Stirling on Saturday and Stage 4 a criterium through the city on Sunday afternoon.