Sarah Gigante’s gigantic leap as TDU title threat
Sarah Gigante wasn’t even a dark horse to win the National Road Race Championship in 2019 – yet she rode away from Australia’s top professionals. Now 19, she’s signed a pro contract and won a national championship gold medal again. She spoke to Gordon Knight.
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Sarah Gigante wasn’t even a dark horse to win the National Road Race Championship in 2019. A crash only months before had left the Melbourne teenager with broken bones and no chance to train – yet she rode away from Australia’s top professionals. Now 19, she’s raced in Europe, signed a contract with US pro team Tibco-SVB and won the Tour of Tasmania and then won gold yet again at the 2020 national championships – this time in the time trial. Now, Gigante is racing in the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under with a big chance of making the podium. She spoke to Gordon Knight.
Q Most people know you because of your against-the-odds win at the National Championships in 2019.
A I didn’t go into the 2019 Nationals with a lot of confidence, but I did go in knowing I’d take every opportunity. Once the breakaway was whittled down to just Sarah Roy, Shara Gillow and me, I changed my mindset from possibly medalling in the under-23 race (which was run concurrently) to thinking about doing well in the race as a whole. Once I was away solo, I knew my legs were feeling good – and it was too late to make any other decision, so I just had to give 100 per cent.
Q And you went to sleep in your national champion’s jersey.
A I was too happy with it to take it off and I wanted to wake up next morning, think that I’d dreamt the result, and then look down and see the green and gold.
Q You’re set to race your first Santos Tour Down Under. Will you be competitive?
A I’m excited that I get to line up. I’m equally excited that it will be my first outing with Tibco-SVB. I didn’t have a coach in 2018, but for the past year Dylan Lindsey, of Pinnacle Performance Cycle Coaching, has taken me on and it’s been great – we’ve seen lots of improvement.
Q You recently won the Tour of Tasmania – an indication of your Tour Down Under potential?
A Friday, December 5, was a special day, with the Tibco-SVB team announcement and my first National Road Series win. That day’s stage finished with an 18.5km climb. I was stoked to go 1-2 with my Roxsolt Attaquer teammate, Justine Barrow, and see how my climbing form had improved.
Q How did you start bike racing?
A. Our family would do the nine-day Great Victorian Bike Ride. I did it twice on a tagalong bike with my mum when I was five and six years old, and once on a tandem when I was eight. Then I told Mum I was sick of looking at her backside and wanted to do the 2009 event on my own. It’s 600km – a long way for a nine-year-old to pedal, but I was stubborn. So Mum Googled “Melbourne cycling clubs for kids” and Brunswick Cycling Club came up. We went along with my brother’s old mountain bike. Dave Morgan, who runs the clinic, saw us pull out the bike and said “You need a real bike” and handed me a track bike. I was hooked.
Q What role has your mum, Kerry, played in getting you to where you are now?
A Mum has been my No.1 supporter. She’s someone I can speak to when it’s tough, someone I can celebrate with, and someone who always has my back.
Q You achieved a perfect ATAR score of 99.95 at high school. Now, you’re at University of Melbourne doing a Bachelor of Science. Is racing and studying hard to balance?
A Last year was a challenge, trying to complete my high school studies to the best of my ability while juggling broken arms and international competition. But now, my university has been very open to me travelling and following the course by correspondence. I enjoy having something else to focus on.
Q You were the 2019 Amy Gillett Foundation scholarship recipient – how has that helped?
A Thanks to the Foundation, I had the opportunity to race in Europe, which improved my bunch skills and race-craft. It’s also an honour to be an ambassador for the Foundation – road safety is important and I see the Foundation’s work as extremely important and valuable.
Q What are your goals for your first full pro season?
A Work hard, have fun, be a great teammate and love racing my bike.
Originally published as Sarah Gigante’s gigantic leap as TDU title threat