We take a look at the bike that carried the Aussie to the GC win and the Santos Festival of Cycling
Sarah Gigante's winning Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod from the Santos Festival of Cycling(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
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This Cannondale carried Sarah Gigante to not only the overall GC, but also earned her the crown of Queen of Willunga(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Gigante's rear derailleur sees the same pink anodised direct-mount hanger we've seen on the EF Education-Nippo bikes(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Those chainrings have most definitely seen a few miles, with a 4iiii dual side power meter measuring watts(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
It's pretty rare to see a mechanical drivetrain in the professional peloton nowadays(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Gigante is running Prologo's Dimension saddle with CPC grippers(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
She uses a standard non-integrated bar and stem. We grabbed her bike following her big win on Willunga Hill, and the route profile was taped to her stem(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Sarah Gigante is a name to watch this season(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
The 2021 Tour Down Under was a bit different for more reasons than one. The field was made up of mostly domestic pros, with Team BikeExchange fielding a men's and women's squad, and a Garmin Australia National Team comprising other WorldTour riders who happened to be home for the Aussie summer. It was also the first time a Queen of Willunga has been crowned, with 20-year old TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank rider Sarah Gigante earning the accolade in addition to winning two of the four stages and taking the overall GC in the process.
Gigante is a rising star in the women's peloton having won both the Australian Road and Time Trial National Championships and riding herself to second place in the eSports World Champs, among many other accolades.
In her second year with the TIBCO SVB squad, Gigante will be well acquainted with her Cannondale SuperSix Evo, and it appears the Melbournian is still riding the same bike as last year. Running a mixed Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra mechanical drivetrain, Gigante's chainrings most definitely have a few miles on them. Paired with her Wahoo Elemnt is a 4iiii Precision Pro dual-sided power meter, and an Ultegra front mech wrangles the chain across the 53/39T chainrings.
At the back, an Ultegra derailleur is bolted to the same pink anodised direct-mount derailleur hanger as seen on the EF Education-Nippo Cannondale team bikes. More robust than the standard OEM hangers, the direct mount version is said to provide more precise shifting and make wheel changes easier for mechanics in a rush on the side of the road.
The pink anodised direct-mount derailleur hanger boldly stands out on Gigante's bike (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Gigante's cockpit is based around a set of FSA K-Force bars attached to an FSA SL-K SCR Stem with Ultegra hydraulic levers. With a standard bar and stem setup instead of a one-piece integrated version, the cable and brake lines are out in the open; however, the mechanic has avoided a rat's nest without the need for even a single length of shrink wrap.
Given the young Aussie's climbing prowess, it's no surprise she's using a set of Shimano Dura-Ace C40s, which are finished in 25C Vittoria Corsa tubulars.
Gigante's touchpoints come courtesy of Prologo with her bars wrapped in OneTouch 2 tape, and her seating arrangements come in the form of a Dimension CPC saddle, complete with the grippy panels and Nack carbon rails.
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With the vast majority of teams in the men's and women's peloton using bottle cages provided by either the team's bike sponsor, Tacx or Elite, the Arundel Mandible cages are a rarity in the WorldTour these days.
Gigante's saddle of choice is the Prologo Dimension CPC (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Tech Specs: Sarah Gigante's Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Disc
Frameset: Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod Disc
Front brake: Shimano Ultegra R8000 Hydraulic disc,
Rear brake: Shimano Ultegra R8000 Hydraulic disc
Brake/shift levers: Shimano Ultegra R8000 Hydraulic Dual Control Lever
Front derailleur: Shimano Ultegra R8000
Rear derailleur: Shimano Ultegra R8000
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra, 11-30T
Chain: Shimano Ultegra
Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace Hollowtech II w/ 4iiii Precision Pro power meter
Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing.
Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine.
