"I am really pumped up" - Amanda Spratt excited to ride up Willunga Hill in her attempt to take fourth Tour Down Under title

It's once again around that time of the year for Amanda Spratt to roll up her sleeves and get down to work at her favourite Tour Down Under. The Australian has won the event three times and now she is chasing a fourth title

"I admit I was eagerly awaiting the announcement of the courses for this year and hoping that there might be something that finished uphill rather than all these downhill finishes we’ve seen in the previous editions," she told Cyclingnews. And by the looks of it, her prayers were heard, getting a finish up Willunga Hill, as well as punchy finish in Sterling on stage 2.

"As soon as I saw the announcement I was like 'OK, that is really exciting and I am really pumped for that', and for me that was straight away my big first goal of the year, it was always Tour Down Under."

"For me there is a sense of excitement, walking up the stairs and you see your name on the steps and there is a giant version of myself staring down – that just feels cool," Spratt shared what it feels like to race at home roads. "Especially down under I like it because my parents come and we have some family friends come often, you feel the home support."