Sarah Gigante, the 24-year-old Australian cycling star, has an infectious energy but also a killer instinct. After a breakout performance at the Giro d’Italia Donne, where she finished third overall, won two mountain stages and claimed the Queen of the Mountains jersey, she heads into the Tour de France Femmes with high hopes. ‘Especially at the end of a tough race, I just love the hard work and pushing myself,’ she says. ‘And maybe it’s a bit mean, but I love to make others hurt.’
Gigante’s path to success was nearly derailed by a serious health issue. She suffered from iliac artery endofibrosis, a condition that restricted blood flow to her right leg during exercise. The surgeon described it as the worst case he had ever seen, with the artery scarred, kinked and going into spasm. After an operation in December, she endured a nine-month lay-off from World Tour racing. ‘Since I had it fixed, it has made such a huge difference,’ she says.
Gigante shows no sign of holding back despite having ‘two massive, really ugly scars’. She says she can now ride her bike ‘happily but also quickly’. Her return to form has sent an ominous warning to rivals, as she expects her best is still to come. ‘I don’t think about my leg at all anymore,’ she adds.
The three-time national champion will compete in her second Tour de France Femmes, which starts this weekend. Last year she finished seventh overall. The Netherlands’ Demi Vollering is widely considered the rider to beat, but Gigante’s renewed fitness and dominant climbing ability make her a formidable contender.
