Heading toward the final part of the season the Australian women's elite team looked to have a number of tantalising options to chase a medal on the climbing heavy Road World Championships course in Rwanda, but then Sarah Gigante was taken out of the running following a training crash which left her with a broken femur and now Neve Bradbury has had to withdraw due to illness.
As a pair the riders who have both claimed third overall at the Giro d'Italia Women in the past two years and delivered on key climbing stages, would have made a formidable combination but even Bradbury alone was a promising prospect, especially given the U23 silver medallist of 2024 had the backing of experienced two-time Worlds road race medallist and fellow Giro d'Italia podium placer Amanda Spratt.
