Gigante is regarded as a hot prospect within cycling, having displayed stellar form racing in Australia, taking three elite national titles despite being only 21 years of age. She raced for two interrupted seasons with TIBCO-SVB in Europe on two separate year-long deals, but this time has been offered a three-year contract, the length a rarity in the women's side of the sport.
She'll join Dutch superstar Annemiek van Vleuten at the squad, but that's not the only reason that the Australian is so excited to be riding for the Spanish WorldTour team.
"It means everything to me," said Gigante in an interview with SBS Cycling Central's Jamie Finch-Penninger. "I’m getting excited thinking about it just now. I’m going to learn so much from my teammates, not just Annemiek. Maybe Annemiek especially, but there’s Arlenis Sierra joining the team, Emma Norsgaard… if you look at the team, it’s not just Annemiek winning races, and it wasn’t just Annemiek and Emma winning races.
"I don’t know how, but most of the team got an opportunity at some point and for most of them it paid off. I think it’s cool to be in a team like that. Where it’s more of a family, everyone gets their chance and everyone can teach everyone else something. I’m not sure what I’ll teach them, maybe my love of QOM hunting (on Strava), or teach them some Aussie slang."
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Gigante moves to Movistar
The Victorian was playing down herself a little there, the talented climber brings prodigious ability, academic gifts, a superb training ethic, and an effervescent personality that exudes so much joy out of racing and riding that it's contagious. Perhaps that's why Movistar recognised her current and future ability with a long-term deal.
"To be given a three-year contract is quite rare, it’s a great confidence booster," said Gigante. "It’s a bit daunting, jumping into the European peloton, sometimes I feel ‘Oh, gosh, am I meant to be here?’.
"It is cool that they do see something in me. I like that it gives me some time to keep finding my feet. I’ve been a pro for two years but I’ve hardly raced, and to not have that pressure I can learn and take my time… because I do, I’ve just turned 21, not ancient yet."
What Gigante wants to accomplish in her first season with the team is still to be decided, but she touched on the inaugural Tour de France Femmes - to be shown live on SBS - as one of her dream races for the year, with a home world championships, the Giro Rosa and the Commonwealth Games as other potential goals. The main brake on those ambitions is an undiagnosed illness that has seen her out of the second half of the season and still yet to return to hard training and likely to not race the Australian curtain-raisers at the start of 2022.
“I’ve had some time off the bike since the Olympics, I’ve been pretty unwell,” said Gigante. “I’ve actually hit up Matt Keenan, seeing if he can get me a commentary gig. I’ll be there, whether I’m racing or not.”
“I want to be 110 per cent fit for a goal race, so probably a bit later in the season than the classics. I’m super excited for the Tour de France Femmes, I’m not even sure if I’ll get picked or not. Moving to Movistar is super exciting but it does mean that it’s a lot harder to get selected for those key races. I’d love to line up, but even if I don’t, the first one’s going to be so epic."
While getting healthy is priority number one, the potential of Gigante's future is so bright that it's hard not to think further than that and what she might accomplish in what is an increasingly rosy picture for the women's peloton, with a host of interesting races next year stretching the possibilities for the sport.
