Sarah Gigante

Sarah Gigante launched herself into the spotlight in 2019, when she upset the stars to win the Australian Road Race National Championship with a solo victory at just 18 years of age.

Before that, Gigante had performed well in the junior ranks, winning the under-19 national time trial and Oceania road race titles one year prior.

In 2020, she joined US outfit TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank, with whom she won back-to-back elite time trial national titles in 2020 and 2021. Those COVID- and injury-affected seasons were highlighted by Gigante’s Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020: there, she finished 11th in the time trial.

In late 2021, Gigante was diagnosed with the heart condition myopericarditis. After spending an extended time in recovery, she landed her first professional victory at the 2022 Emakumeen Nafarroako one-day race in Spain, representing her new team, Movistar.

Gigante had limited race opportunities in 2023, but a swap to the AG Insurance-Soudal team in 2024 reaped immediate dividends as the Melburnian won a stage and the overall at the Tour Down Under: her first WorldTour-level triumphs.

At the end of 2024, she suffered another major setback when she underwent surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis. She did not return to competition until June 2025, but quickly reminded the world of her immense talent, winning two stages and finishing third at the Giro d’Italia Women.

Gigante therefore went into the Tour de France Femmes as one of the outside favourites. She confirmed her climbing prowess by finishing second on the queen stage to the Col de la Madeleine and ultimately finished sixth in the general classification.

Unfortunately, a serious training crash ruled Gigante out of that year's World Championships in Rwanda, and she returned home to Melbourne to recover for the next season.