It took three months for Amanda Spratt to decide not to throw her hat in the ring for Commonwealth Games selection.
“The chance to represent Australia at a home Games would have been amazing, however I had to weigh up what was going to be best for me and my career,” she said.
“I am at a point in my career where I want to do everything I can to become the best in the world.”
Instead, the Springwood cyclist elected to contest the Ardennes Classics in the Netherlands and Belgium – three of the toughest and hilliest one-day races on the elite women’s road cycling world tour calendar.
It’s a decision that has paid off, with Spratt collecting a second at Liege Bastogne Liege, third in the Amstel Gold Race and fifth in the Fleche Wallonne.
She regards these results as some of the biggest highlights of her career.
“This has definitely been my best ever Ardennes Classics. I had a bit of a funny spring with some illness and injury and missed out on some of the cobbled classics. But I think it may have been a blessing in disguise because I have come into these races a bit fresher,” Spratt said.
Suffering chilblains in her feet and the flu in March, she missed some important races, but arrived ready for the Ardennes Classics “hungry, motivated and less tired.”
After a lighter training week, Spratt now turns her focus to preparing for the 10-day Giro D'Italia in July.
