According to two-time podium finisher Amanda Spratt, Australia heads into the home UCI Road World Championships with its strongest women's team in years.

Amanda Spratt, from New South Wales, will compete in the 164km elite/U23 women's road race on Saturday, September 23, which will take riders down the coast from Helensburgh, around one lap of the Mount Keira Circuit, and around six laps of a corner-filled urban course, including a climb on Mount Pleasant. The race will feature six laps of a city course with many corners, including a climb up Mount Pleasant. She will race in a team consisting of Georgia Baker, Brody Chapman, Sarah Roy, Josie Talbot, Alex Manley, and Grace Brown, all of whom have world championship experience.

"If you look at the team as a whole, I think it's one of the strongest teams we've had in years, in terms of the depth of riders, who can go deep into the race," Spratt told Cycling News last weekend before heading to Australia for her final pre-race training block. 'That's the goal. And I think we'll have a pretty good race on the final circuit."

"I think Grace and Alex are the riders we want to protect the most and they deserve that position. They've both had great seasons, and they're both capable of winning and finishing on the podium in different ways in the race.

Brown knows how to time his attacks and use his time trial skills to stay in front, while Manley can sprint, but also has the ability to hold on on the short climbs, which is valuable on a course with 2433m of elevation gain. Manley can sprint, but also has the ability to hold on on short climbs.

The 34-year-old Spratt has been the natural choice as the leader of the Australian team for years, finishing second in the 2018 World Championships road race and third in the 2019 World Championships road race. Her recent season, however, has not been kind to her form, as she suffered from iliac artery endomysial fibrosis and underwent surgery in October to treat it. Now, Spratt is showing promising signs of her return to the top of her game ahead of this rare road world championship on her home turf.

"The road to recovery was quite long," Spratt said, adding that the breakthrough point came mid-year.

"Eight months post-op was right before the Giro [Donne, Italy], at the end of the high-altitude block, and right before the Giro I powered for a record 10 minutes. Right before the Giro, I had my best 10-minute power ever."

"At that point, I could feel it was worth it."

Spratt went into the 10-stage race in Italy in "fantastic form" and intended to make the most of it in the two crucial stages.

"My best stages are the ones where there are a lot of ups and downs and long climbs with no recovery," he said. But I got COVID on stage 7 and had to retire."

He then got another chance at the Tour de France Femme, but crashed on stage 2, ending his chances before the climbing stage.

"It was a rough month of July and just when I thought I was back on track," Spratt said.

Spratt may not have had many opportunities to take advantage of her post-surgery recovery, but her progress was evident at her most recent race, the Simac Ladies Tour, where she finished third in the time trial on stage 5. 2010, her first year in the elite race in Geelong, Ahead of her second road world championship in her home country, she is also positive about July, the month in which she also COVID and crashed.

"At this time of the season, it's a bit of a battle not to push too hard," Spratt said. I'm not going to be able to do that," Spratt said. I think my form is coming up and I want to use that to help the team."

The Australian team and Bike Exchange Jayco have been steadfast for Spratt since the start of his career. Spratt has signed with Trek-Segafredo, but hopes to make the most of his last race with his longtime team before a strong first season with his new team.

"I definitely feel like I'm growing now," Spratt said. Even if that doesn't happen this season, I see a lot of positive signs for next season."