After her attack on Mount Lofty in the second stage of the Women's Tour Down Under was reeled in just 500 meters from the finish, everyone expected Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) to try the Corkscrew again in the third stage final.

The 35-year-old Spratt, watched by the other leading contenders, managed to ride the steep climb all by herself. Unfortunately for Spratt, the in-form Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) closed the gap to 20 seconds on the downhill and won the sprint.

"This finish line is about a kilometer farther than I would have liked.

"But that's the way it is. The team ran perfectly, we had a plan, we knew where we wanted to go with the corkscrew. I attacked where I wanted to attack and I knew I needed the gap to Grace.

"It never feels good to hear that Grace is chasing you. I knew her strength was in the downhills and on the flat to the finish, so I gave it my all. I really have no regrets. I'm just very happy and thankful to my team for supporting me here," she told reporters.

"Honestly, it feels great to be able to give pain on the climb and I'm really looking forward to a great year ahead," Spratt continued.

Her 2022 season was heavily influenced by her recovery from iliac artery endometriosis. She was diagnosed in August 2021, underwent surgery in October, and only returned to a full training schedule in December, never being at her best the following year.

"It was a really serious surgery, probably more serious than I gave myself credit for," the Australian climber said of the severity of her injury.

"In the end, I never really regained my form last season. Signing with Trek-Segafredo was a huge boost, joining one of the best teams in the world. Spratt added, "It was really nice to be able to stay home for a long time, do some solid preparation, and then get back to racing. [His former team, Green Edge Cycling, was a really great team.

"I'm really happy to have moved teams, but I'm really grateful to everyone at GreenEdge. This second place feels like a victory to me. I'm going to celebrate a little bit with them and I'm going to celebrate with my new team," Spratt promised post-race festivities across team boundaries.

Finally back in top form, she is now looking forward to the European season. She said, "After the Cadel road race, I'll head back to Europe, starting with the Vuelta CV Feminas. Certainly, I want to be in good shape for the Ardennes Classics and the women's Vuelta, and I want to do well in the Tour de France. To be able to race with people like [Elisa] Longo Borghini and [Lizzie] Deignan, to be able to get my form back and compete with them. What I love about cycling is the tactical game and what you can do with the numbers."