The last time Sarah Gigante lined up to race with her AG Insurance Soudal team was 265 days ago. But after recovering from iliac artery endofibrosis surgery in December the Australian rider will get to line up once again at the Tour of Norway on Saturday.
"A big thumbs up from Norway," said Gigante in an Instagram post. "It’s been 265 days since I last raced with my team, back in Switzerland last September, but the wait is finally over. No matter how it goes this weekend, I know that pinning on a number again will already feel like a huge win."
It is an earlier than expected return for the 24-year-old, who had to forgo her 2024 Tour Down Under title defence as a result of the surgery. She has been working back to fitness at home in Australia, both on the indoor trainer and by jumping into local crits once able to ride. She also used some Strava QOM efforts to measure her recovery and fuel her motivation, knocking a huge chunk off her time up Tawonga Gap between Mount Beauty and Bright to consolidate her QOM margin to over two minutes.
“The recovery from my surgery went really well," said Gigante in a team media statement. "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."
Gigante worked up from walking for the first month, then spent a few weeks on the elliptical trainer. By the time her teammates were lining up at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race at the start of February, she was able to get out on the bike before heading along to watch the action unfold.
"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," said Gigante. "I’m really grateful to the team for their patience and support during these tough six months."
During that time she not only had to recover from iliac endofibrosis surgery, there was also a subsequent dislocated shoulder injury to cope with as well.
"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," said Gigante.
"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 huge motivation for my first race of the season.”
It will, however, be a process of easing back in at the two-stage Tour of Norway for the rider who, when she re-signed with AG Insurance-Soudal last year, cited her appreciation for the fact that the squad had "taught me to believe in myself and remember that Rome wasn't built in a day".
"Just being in the peloton again will put a huge smile on my face," Gigante said.
"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."
