Sarah Gigante (AUS) powered to victory at the Australian Time Trial National Championships, claiming both the Elite and U23 titles. The defending road race national champion, now just nineteen years old, won the race in a thrilling finish among a competitive field of Australian riders, with only 10 seconds separating the podium finishers in the 28.6-kilometer race.
Halfway through the undulating, challenging course, Sarah had the third-fastest time, with some of the race favorites yet to finish. Over the next laps, Sarah carved her advantage, grabbing valuable seconds on the technical, fast descents and steep climbs. Sarah stormed through the finish line in 42:41, the fastest time of the day, ahead of Grace Brown and Emily Herfoss.
“I was hoping for a good result, but certainly didn’t expect to win the Elite Race,” said Sarah. “I am super excited that I was able to pull off a win for Team Tibco-SVB in my first race in the team colours, and I am so excited to wear the green and gold in time trials this year. I’m now looking forward to the road race on Sunday, and then the rest of the Summer of Cycling with my new teammates! This is a great start to my first year as a pro and I am incredibly excited for everything to come.”
“We couldn’t be happier for Sarah in this incredible accomplishment,” said Linda Jackson, Founder of Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank. “Sarah stormed onto the cycling main stage with her victory at last year’s Road National Championships, and we have been following her consistent progression ever since. We are proud to continue to support her development and success in the pro peloton.”
“Sarah is in great form right now, which was obvious from her performance at Bay Crits on Sunday. But to get everything right on race day, and translate that form into a national championship victory against a strong field is a fantastic accomplishment,” added Rachel Hedderman, Head Sports Director for Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank.
Former Australian Road Race National Champion, Shannon Malseed, who is currently recovering from a broken scapula, was quick to highlight Sarah’s victory on social media, saying she was “over the moon” with excitement for her young teammate.
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