Not for the faint-hearted: Sarah Gigante shares update 10 months on from her nasty fracture

Sarah Gigante has shared a new update on her recovery via Instagram. The Australian finished an impressive third at the 2025 Giro d'Italia Women and sixth at the Tour de France Femmes, but broke her femur in August. Ten months on, the AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step rider has given another update on social media.

Gigante had a brilliant 2025, but it was brought to an abrupt end by that heavy training crash. In mid-June, she revisited it once more. "Unfortunately after good progress early on, since December I've felt more and more like a hamster in a wheel, trying my very best and working so hard but getting nowhere," she said.

"Two steps forward, three steps back. That gets frustrating quickly," said the 25-year-old, who has continued to struggle. "Thanks to the unwavering support of my team and some clever Belgian surgeons, we've finally worked out that my pain wasn't coming from the fracture anymore, but rather from irritation related to the nail position and fit."

The pictures on the below Instagram post are not for the squeamish, but show the extent of the recovery Gigante has had to endure.

"I can complete long training rides, but intensive rides are a very different and very painful story," Gigante explained. "It's a shame Sarah 4.0 has taken so long to load, but this time we'll get there. Some more time off, then some Zwift ... and hopefully this femur story can finally be closed at last … and only revisited one day in my book."

"I'm incredibly grateful to have such a fantastic support system," she concluded. "I can't thank everyone personally here — I'd inevitably forget someone — but honestly, I feel incredibly lucky, especially given how much bad luck I've had lately."