Sarah Gigante: “Being back in the bunch will put a big smile on my face!”

Sarah Gigante: “Being back in the bunch will put a big smile on my face!”

The 24-year-old talked in our most recent blog about the excitement of finally getting her season underway in a few days.

Sarah Gigante is close to making her comeback with AG Insurance – Soudal after the surgery she underwent at the end of last year to treat iliac artery endofibrosis. A winner of the Tour Down Under in her first season with the team, the Melbourne-based rider is now riding pain-free after recovering at home in the last couple of months, and having put that difficult period behind her, is eager to pin on a number again at the Tour of Norway, which gets underway on Saturday.

“The recovery from my surgery went really well. Everything was extremely smooth in terms of the operation and rehabilitation. Even before I was able to start exercising, I already felt the difference in blood flow and noticed the lack of aching in my leg, which had become constant before my operation. I had to limit myself to just walking for the first month. After that, I spent a few weeks doing many elliptical sessions under 100bpm, and then, after nearly two months without cycling, I was able to start riding.

I began solely on the wind trainer and stayed on a loaned gravel bike for the first six weeks. It was a slow but steady build-up to a full training load, but I now feel as though I’m fitter and stronger than before. I’m really grateful to the team for their patience and support during these tough six months. I have watched every race from start to finish this season and have been a die-hard fan of my teammates from the other side of the world.

One of the highlights of the year for me so far was definitely watching Kim take her incredible win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège last month! I’m really excited to start racing again. It’s been fun cheering the team on, and I’ve enjoyed the process of training hard to regain my fitness, but I really miss the feeling of pinning on a number and working with my AG Insurance – Soudal teammates towards a shared goal. I also miss the race day adrenaline! Just being in the peloton again will put a huge smile on my face. I’ll of course try my very best to do what is asked of me by the team, but I think, for now, just being able to race again is amazing and anything else is a bonus.

I came out of April far stronger than I went into it, thanks to over 80 hours of indoor riding over the four weeks that I was restricted from outdoor riding. I even grew to really enjoy my long six-hour ergos. My friends all thought I was a bit crazy for watching Paris-Roubaix replay on .7 speed to stretch out the coverage, and at times it seemed that even my cat started to look at me judgmentally from her viewing spot on the couch, but I really savoured watching my teammates race while also challenging myself physically and mentally. Now, knowing I will join my teammates soon, makes me very happy and gives me a huge motivation for my first race of the season.”