"It’s pretty tough when you’re only 23 and people think that you’re washed up" - Emotional Sarah Gigante returns to form with Tour Down Under win

After a tough couple of years, Sarah Gigante returned to form with a bang on the third and final stage of the 2024 Tour Down Under.

Obliterating the rest of the field on the infamous Willunga Hill, Gigante doubled up taking both the stage win and overall victory. "I can’t even believe to tell you how much it means," Gigante in quotes collected by GCN from her post-stage interview. "I last won here three years ago and it felt like everything went wrong since then, and in so many ways. To come back full circle with a new team that believes in me means so much. I’m so grateful to everyone who kept believing in me."

For the 23-year-old Australian, this victory in her first race for the AG Insurance - Soudal Team really means the world. "It’s so special. It was really difficult and the team were amazing. I burnt so many of their matches, and a few of mine but they just kept believing in me," she explains. "It’s our first race as a WorldTour team, Ally Wollaston won the first stage, I won the last stage and together we all won the Ocre jersey. It’s just crazy."

"I’m so happy to get a win. It’s pretty tough when you’re only 23 and people think that you’re washed up," she concludes. "Sometimes I did too, and it was so hard to keep believing in myself but I did, and AG Soudal did too and now we’ve won. We’re just going to soak it up."