Sarah Gigante will be an AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep rider in 2024, joining the team which will become a Women's WorldTour squad next season after Movistar announced on Wednesday that it would be ending the contract with the Australian rider a year early, by mutual agreement.
The Belgian squad announced the Australian's arrival on Thursday morning on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Christmas came early this year!," said AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep. "We are thrilled to announce the latest rider to join our elite team! Welcome, Sarah Gigante!"
Gigante had sealed the three-year deal with Movistar which started in 2021 surrounded by hopes, given her time trialling and climbing prowess, that she may in time develop to become one of the riders that could help the team offset the results void that would inevitably be left by the retirement of Annemiek van Vleuten. However, illness, injury and a run of bad luck have left Gigante with far fewer opportunities than expected after joining her former team.
A mutual agreement was then struck in October, and announced this week, to release Gigante from the final year of her contract with the team saying it was an action taken "for both parties' best interest and further opportunities in 2024".
Even with the tough run through recent seasons and the Movistar announcement of their partnership ending early, there seemed little reason to think that this would mean an early end to Gigante's professional cycling career, although the rider had some worries judging by the title of her Thursday ride on Strava "Don't worry, you don't do this pre-Burbs if you're retiring".
The rider has long stood out, drawing the full glare of the spotlight when in her very first year of the junior ranks she outflanked the experienced WorldTour professionals surrounding her to claim the elite national title in 2019. She then went on to claim the elite time trial title for the next two years.
Gigante also appears to be on the path to an Australian Road Championships return after two years absent from the event. The 23-year-old has certainly shown that she has built her race form, having pinned on a number at the Tour of Bright at the start of December and claimed two stages and the overall with her dominant climbing power.
The announcement that she will join AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep means she will now also likely line up at the Australian Road Championships with a very familiar teammate, as contemporary Anya Louw is also on the squad.
