It’s cold atop the Col de la Madeleine. See-your-breath-in-the-air cold, even though it’s August. A thick band of cloud has rolled in, obscuring the sun for now. Thankfully there’s no more of the rain that fell earlier in the day.
Sarah Gigante flies down the narrow road past the finish line. Through the wall of noise created by roadside fans; past a gaggle of rival team soigneurs and reporters hoping to capture the moment. When she sees her AG Insurance-Soudal team staff, the Australian climber rolls to a stop. She’s given a jacket to put on – carefully, so as not to hurt her recently re-dislocated shoulder – and the interviews begin almost immediately.
Initially, she appears upbeat, but soon speaks of her disappointment at finishing second on the queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Moments later, she’s in tears, but again speaking about how happy she can be having beaten all but a rampaging Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike).
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