Spratt nabs third Tour Down Under title

AMANDA Spratt is the undisputed queen of the Santos Tour Down Under.

The 31-year-old Australian claimed a hat-trick of crowns when she stayed safe from a sizzling hot peloton, which suffered immensely from the 34C heat during the 42.5km stage yesterday.

The Mitchelton-Scott twotime national road champion was well protected by her Australian team during the women’s finale of the Adelaide street circuit before fellow Aussie and Ale-Cipollini sprint gun Chloe Hosking claimed stage 4.

“I’m much more excited than the crit (criterium) last year; I stayed upright and it was really fun to be out there and try to help out (sprint jersey leader Sarah) Roy,” Spratt said.

Before the men’s peloton blew off their preseason cobwebs in the Down Under Classic – the prologue to the sixstage race which starts at North Adelaide tomorrow – the women bore the brunt of the scorching sun.

With Spratt’s hat-trick of Tour wins a hard act to follow in years to come, Hosking was ecstatic but at the same time disappointed with her stage victory.

The Ale-Cipollini gun claimed the same criterium stage last year.

She issued a stern warning to the rivals in the peloton when she breezed to the first Ziptrak preme sprint on lap 6 before claiming the stage.

“It’s a race which isn’t suited to me because I would have preferred a harder race so some of that sting is taken out of the girls’ legs,” Hosking said.

“I did feel a bit of pressure because I haven’t delivered in any of the other stages. I didn’t want to finish this tour with nothing to show ….”