Stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina was one of those telling moments in Sarah Gigante's career, a summit finish in a Grand Tour to shed light on just how she would fare among a field filled with top GC contenders, and even after a crash along the way the Australian managed to hold firm near the front to the very final stages.
The 23-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider has swept up a number of sought-after results on ascents and time trials in her home nation – from winning Australian titles to the Willunga stage and overall at the Santos Tour Down Under – but injury, health and circumstance have, until now, curtailed her European race calendar.
