Proud parents Graeme and Lyn Spratt will be glued to the television coverage of the Olympics next month when their daughter, Springwood cyclist Amanda Spratt, takes to the road in Rio.
Currently competing in Europe, the 28-year-old was named in the Australian squad last week and her parents couldn’t have been happier.
“As parents we've seen all the hard work, sacrifices, wins, losses, injuries, disappointments etc over a long period of time and it's fabulous when it all comes together at the right time,” Mrs Spratt said.
Cycling has been an integral part of the family’s makeup.
Mr Spratt was a competitive cyclist, and his father Reg before him. In 2012 Mr Spratt was the Australian Road Race champion in the 55-60 years masters category, and that same year Amanda won her first Australian Road Race Championship.
While Amanda’s older sister Zoe has taken to recreational cycling recently, her brother Nick, now 27, raced competitively until ongoing side effects from glandular fever forced him to give up the sport 10 years ago.
But he took his mountain bike out for a spin in June, nailing second in the 25km Woodford to Glenbrook Classic in a thrilling 42 minutes 48 seconds, just 90 seconds behind winner Brian Price.
Nick and Amanda started on their BMX bikes at the Lawson BMX track, before moving to track and road racing.
While mum Lyn hasn’t caught the cycling bug herself, she’s been the family’s biggest longtime supporter and “resident psychologist”.
Amanda rides into the Olympics in strong form.
She was fifth overall in the Aviva Womens Tour in the UK last month, and won the Australian National Championships in January. She also represented Australia at the 2012 London Olympics.
She is an excellent race tactician and often sacrifices her position in a race for her team-mates. “We are really proud of her. She’s incredibly dedicated and can be so focused,” Mrs Spratt said.
“She seems to be in a really good place,” Mr Spratt said. “She’s in her prime at the moment. Things have fallen into place coaching-wise.”
We've seen all the hard work, sacrifices, wins, losses, injuries, disappointments ... and it's fabulous when it all comes together at the right time
- Lyn Spratt