Sarah Gigante announced on social media that she will be sidelined for several months following successful surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis. The former two-time Australian time trial champion will miss the opportunity to reclaim her national title and defend her overall victory at the Women’s Tour Down Under in January.
After struggling with pain in her right leg, Gigante, 24, was diagnosed with endofibrosis on Monday, December 2nd while in Australia.
“Coming into the Aussie summer is usually my favourite period of the whole year, but this time it has been a real struggle for me, both mentally and physically,” she wrote.
“For a long time now, I’ve had a dull ache at rest in my right leg, but this then increased to brief numbness at max intensity on the bike and, since I returned home to Australia, has become more and more painful to the point that any riding felt impossible. My whole leg, especially my quad, felt like it was being set on fire, even when riding quite slowly.”
“I didn’t know the reason for this and wanted to give myself every chance of defending my Tour Down Under title and doing well in the National TT Championships, so I kept trying to do endurance rides while we searched for muscular or nerve-related causes. My motivation was still sky high and I hoped that I could still recover from my mysterious injury, add in a few weeks of intensity and then be back on track.
“Sadly though, the problem was much more serious than we expected. An ultrasound and some blood pressure tests before and after cycling revealed that my artery was narrowing severely during exercise, limiting the blood flow to my leg. The pain I was feeling was my poor muscles screaming out for oxygen.”
“The surgery went well, and Sarah is now ready to begin her rehabilitation,” her team AG Insurance–Soudal stated in a release. “She can count on the support of the Victorian Institute of Sport during her recovery.”
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Gigante walked away from a contract with Movistar after two tough seasons to join the AG Insurance–Soudal team in 2024. She quickly achieved success in her first Women WorldTour stage win on her way to the overall victory at the Tour Down Under. She then finished seventh in her debut Tour de France Femmes. In October, the team announced a two-year contract extension.
At that time, Gigante expressed hope of defending her Tour Down Under title in January, but with a lengthy recovery ahead, that is no longer possible.
“I’m gutted to miss months of racing (inc January, my favourite month!) but happy to know and fix a problem that has been such a mental and physical struggle.” Gigante wrote on X.
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