"People love to tell me I am slower than their grandma": Sarah Gigante explains the gap between her climbing and descending

Sarah Gigante’s 2025 season has been a study in extremes. The Australian produced some of the year’s most impressive and surprising uphill performances before seeing her campaign cut short by injury, missing the UCI Road World Championships after breaking her femur in a training crash in August.

Despite those setbacks, Gigante has used the season to reflect and work on certain areas that require an improvement, particularly her descending, which has attracted growing scrutiny.

Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Gigante explained why she thinks her descent skills are far worse than those of her competitors. “I think a lot of it is just race experience because I don't really get the chance to race down mountains in pelotons that often, and I've had really limited race days,” she explained. “I've been pro for actually quite a long time now, but if you keep having six months off between then you'll still be rusty.”

She also pointed to technical aspects, including equipment, that have played a role. “I really underestimated the difference, but the race wheels, I mean, maybe it just sounds like excuses, but I think just things like getting used to the feel of the really deep dish race wheels that we race on compared to, you know, my tiny training wheels at home,” Gigante said.

Gigante revealed that changes made with her team AG Insurance - Soudal after the Tour de Suisse Women (where she finished 12th overall in what was her second race of the season) and ahead of the Giro d’Italia Donne (where she finished third overall) helped address some issues, particularly braking.

“Not being able to reach my brakes properly in the drop. So I think that's something we adjusted after Swiss and before the Giro, and I already felt like that made a huge difference,” she said. “It's just the brakes are far away and I have little hands and in the drops it's just harder to reach the levers.”

The 24-year-old believes her poor descending skills are talked about too often in the media just because she is really good going uphill. “I think all the media frenzy came because my climbing is already super good. My climbing and my descending, there's a big gap, it's not necessarily just because I'm like the worst descender in the world and that I'm slower than your grandma, which people love to tell me.”

Gigante definitely proved her climbing abilities this season, as she won two stages at the Giro d'Italia. However, increased visibility didn't only bring positive things, particularly during the Tour de France Femmes.

“The people that felt the need to message me like personally, privately or comment on my own post,” she said. “Like, I'm sure if I went looking for hate, I'm going to find it. But like, do you really have to message me personally?”

Gigante remains optimistic despite online hate of people who "clearly have nothing better to do". The exponential growth of women's cycling shows there is a bright future ahead.

“The coverage women's cycling is getting is so amazing and just growing and growing. But of course, that means that you get some of the downsides that come with more publicity. So yeah, I'll take it for the team. If it means women's cycling is getting bigger and better, then it's so worth it,” she concluded.