Amanda Spratt feels like her old self and that means trouble for her rivals at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race.
Spratt's solo attack on the steep Corkscrew climb at the Tour Down Under earlier this month proved the Australian cycling star is returning to top form.
The 35-year-old is now certain to test the field on the two climbs up Challambra Crescent in Geelong that will headline Saturday's 143km race.
Spratt needed major surgery in late 2021 to fix an iliac artery condition that has afflicted several top professional cyclists.
While she went in with her eyes open about the long rehabilitation process involved, it took more like eight months than the six Spratt had expected.
Then she had a bout of COVID-19 during the Giro d'Italia and crashed in the Tour de France, meaning Spratt felt on the back foot throughout last season.
But along with regaining top climbing condition, late last year Spratt also left Australian-based Jayco-AlUla - her only professional team - to join the powerful Trek-Segafredo squad.
That has fuelled Spratt's motivation and made her even more excited about what might happen this season.
Asked this week if she is back, Spratt told reporters: "You can write that. It felt great to be racing like that again.
"It's been a good couple of years since I've been able to attack like that (on Corkscrew).
"For sure, I'm looking at Challambra Crescent and that finishing circuit to really make the difference. That will be no surprise to anyone."
The only problem for Spratt at the Tour Down Under is that when she attacked on Corkscrew, she had company.
Fellow Australian star Grace Brown caught her on the descent to the finish, winning the last stage and the tour overall.
Brown (FDJ) will be a key rival again for Spratt and her teammate Brodie Chapman, who won the national road title earlier this month.
"It didn't go my way in the end, but it just felt great to be at the pointy end again and feeling like myself," Spratt said.
"I didn't want her (Brown) chasing me down after Corkscrew at Tour Down Under. I wasn't very happy about that."
Having Chapman as her teammate on Saturday offers a microcosm of what is to come for Spratt, and is one of the key reasons behind her team switch.
Often at Jayco, she was the clear No.1 rider. Now, Spratt can share leadership duties with fellow guns such as British rider Lizzie Deignan and Italian Elisa Longo Borghini.
Dutch time-trial powerhouse Ellen van Dijk is one of the best domestiques in the women's peloton, while team boss Ina Teutenberg also has a great reputation.
"In women's cycling, it's really showing that you need those numbers there to play the game," Spratt said.
"That was one of the big factors for joining Trek-Segafredo."
Hot weather is forecast for Geelong on Saturday and that is perfect for Spratt.
It will be a tough race, with the elevation of the women's event to WorldTour status meaning it is longer by about 20km.
For a pocket rocket like Spratt, the tougher the better.
"I saw it was going to be 37 (degrees) and I looked again and it said it was only going to be 34. I was disappointed," she said.
