Australian rider Sarah Gigante (Movistar) is looking ahead to a return to racing in the European summer after an extended period away from competition following "some difficulties" over the 2022 season.
The rider took her first victory with the team at Emakumeen Nafarroako last year in May, just months into her first season with the Women's WorldTour squad. However, she was then faced with another season cut short as initially concussion ended her Spanish block of racing and then she had only a brief return for Postnord Vårgårda and the Tour of Scandinavia in August.
"After some difficulties over the 2022 season, which meant I had to put an end to my schedule early at the Tour of Scandinavia, I've been steadily building my fitness back in Australia, looking at a return later this season," said Gigante in a Movistar release, which didn't further specify the difficulties.
The 22-year-old joined Movistar at the start of last year after having spent two years with Tibco-SVB where her European racing was limited by a number of factors, from the COVID-19 pandemic to broken bones and then myopericarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle and sac surrounding the heart.
Even with those bumps in the road the young rider firmly marked herself out as one to watch for the future, first drawing notice in her home nation when she took out the clean sweep of the under 19 Australian road, time trial and criterium titles in 2018 and then in her first year as an under 23 beat not only all those in her category, but also swept past all the elite riders in the combined women's road race at the Australian National Championships as well.
Gigante then also proved her time trial prowess over the next two years, taking the national elite titles in the race against the clock in 2020 and 2021 as well as coming 11th at the Olympic Games in her first international outing in the discipline. She has, however, had to miss the Australian racing the past two seasons but is making the most of the now mild autumn weather in her home nation to work toward a European racing return.
"My training is all going well - I'm already into an endurance block, which should take me into the end of the spring, and I'm hoping to fly back to Europe afterwards to return to racing in the summer," Gigante said.
The rider from Melbourne, who is also studying linguistics and geography, is signed with Movistar through to the end of 2024.
"I really appreciate the team for being so patient and supportive and I'm wishing my team-mates all the best until I see them," said Gigante. "I watch every single race from start to finish."
