Reigning three-time women’s Tour Down Under winner Amanda Spratt is hungry for more success
Three-time defending champion Amanda Spratt’s quest for a fourth-straight women’s Tour Down Under title gets under way today, and she’s hungry for more success.
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She has owned the Women’s Tour Down Under for the past three years, but Amanda Spratt is feeling no pressure as she aims to claim an unprecedented fourth title in a row.
The three-times reigning Women’s TDU champ will begin her quest for another crown today and says she’s looking forward to the challenge of retaining the title.
“Of course, there’s a little bit of pressure,” Spratt said.
“But for me it’s actually more exciting.
“I come into the Aussie summer really, really excited to race in front of a home crowd.
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“My mum and dad are here, I’ve got family friends I’ve known since I was born from the Blue Mountains who have travelled down to Adelaide to watch me.
“For me it’s more excitement rather than pressure.
“I think the last couple of years I’ve probably become more used to feeling that pressure and still being able to embrace it and perform.”
The Mitchelton-Scott rider was also confident she would not be forced to carry the team and expected a few others to step up.
“I think we definitely have other cards to play,” she said.
“Grace Brown is in incredible form … I saw her in Stirling last year and she basically rode off the wheel to win that stage there.
“Lucy Kennedy is going really, really well so we are definitely not going in with one, single leader.
“It would be amazing if I could pull off the fourth (overall) win.
“But equally I’d be just as happy if one of my teammates can also get that ochre jersey.
“For me, my biggest priority is to keep the jersey on the team.”
The race, which runs from January 16-19, has been elevated to the newly formed UCI ProSeries rating and is one of only five UCI ProSeries stage races in the world.
All stages will also be televised for the first time in the races’ five-year history.
“I’ve been involved with the Tour Down Under in every edition and I think it’s a race that’s been growing and growing every year,” Spratt said.
“I think in general, for women’s cycling, the biggest thing we can have is that live coverage for people to see the races.
“When people get to watch women’s cycling they realise how exciting it is, it’s unpredictable.
“The stages this year are very opportunistic and it’s not going to be a predictable course, we don’t have that mountaintop finish.
“I think it’s great people are going to get to see that and see how exciting the racing is.”
Originally published as Reigning three-time women’s Tour Down Under winner Amanda Spratt is hungry for more success