Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) is well into her rebuild from December surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis, happily declaring in an update on social media that ‘everything has been so much smoother and far better than I ever could have hoped for’.
“I was given the all clear by my surgeon to begin riding again, slowly but surely, just over a month ago,” said Gigante on Instagram. “I wasn’t sad to leave behind my long walks and 100bpm elliptical sessions, but I was quite nervous to jump on the bike and see if the operation had really worked, given how much pain I’d had when training pre-op.
“Riding is now pain-free and super fun again. The only ‘problem’ is that I’m unfit, but that’s not really a problem and is changing quite quickly…”
The evidence of that is quite clear, with Gigante’s rides on Strava quickly building as the 24-year-old Australian recovers at home, tackling the winding local roads among the hills in the sunny summer and early autumn weather of Melbourne. This week she also joined the flow of riders making their way to ‘The Boulie’ to converge at the Teardrop so they can take part in Hawthorn Cycling Club’s long-running Wednesday night race ritual.
“It will still be a while until I’ll return to racing in Europe, but I couldn’t resist a cheeky Teardrop crit last night in the meantime!!,” said Gigante in the Thursday evening social media post.
Gigante had surgery in early December after being diagnosed with iliac artery endofibrosis following a period where a dull ache at rest in her right leg progressed to a brief numbness at max intensity and then became more and more painful to a point where she said that any riding ‘felt impossible’.
The discovery of the severe narrowing of the artery during exercise and resulting surgery means that Gigante will have to sit out a significant portion of the season, already having had to miss the Australian opening races. It also meant foregoing a title defence as last year the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under provided a stunning debut with her new team AG Insurance-Soudal as the rider had made an early departure from Movistar after a challenging two seasons with the squad that were curtailed by injury, illness and limited racing opportunities.
Gigante also made her debut in the Tour de France Femmes in 2024, finishing seventh overall, and to cap the successful season extended her original one-year contract with AG Insurance-Soudal for another two years. It is currently unclear exactly when she will return to racing in Europe with AG Insurance-Soudal but in a team release in January Gigante said she was on track for a mid-season return.
What is clear, however, is that Gigante is once again utilising her well-practised routine of building back after a setback to make sure she returns with the best form possible.
“The comeback is on,” concluded Gigante.
