The media picked on Sarah Gigante and her descending skills following the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. There, the AG Insurance - Soudal climber spent a lot of time in the spotlight as one of the best riders uphill, but also one of the worst downhill.
"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," Gigante explained on the Domestique Hotseat podcast. "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."
The Australian climber has had quite some bad luck this season. Due to Endofibrosis, she only started racing at the end of May at Tour of Norway. Her return was stellar with two stage victories in the hardest mountain tests of Giro d'Italia Women just a month later.
That catapulted the 24-year-old onto the race's final podium. And just two weeks later, she was Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's closest rival on the slopes of Col de la Madeleine. That performance was ultimately just enough to land her a 6th place in GC. But won't add any more to her 23 race days in 2025 as Gigante crashed in training prior to World Championships, suffering a femur fracture.
And while Gigante is one of the best in the world when it comes to riding uphill, her downhill abilities are often quite lacking. The AG Insurance - Soudal rider points to specific technical challenges that have affected her descending performance:
"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," she said.
Sarah Gigante
Gigante then reveals that some changes were already applied after Tour de Suisse which was reflected positively in her results: "Not being able to reach my brakes properly in the drop. So I think that's something we adjusted after Suisse and before the Giro, and I already felt like that made a huge difference," Gigante 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."
Slower than grandma
As Gigante sees thinks, her descending is not all that terrible. However it's still a stark contrast compared to her excellent climbing level which amplifies the impression of the Australian struggling a lot downhill. And facing former mountain bike a cyclocross world champions doesn't make it easier for the woman from Down Under.
"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 said.
She had also pointed out that a lot of unpleasant messages appeared in her virtual mailbox. "The people that felt the need to message me like personally, privately or comment on my own post. 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?" she noted.
"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."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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