‘a Super Hard Day’: Heartbreak For Sarah Gigante As Tour De France Femmes Challenge Fades

Australia’s Sarah Gigante was forced to settee for sixth spot successful nan women’s Tour de France arsenic Pauline Ferrand-Prevot claimed triumph for nan hosts. Starting nan time 2nd successful nan GC, Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) mislaid crushed connected nan Joux-Plane descent and yet vanished nan shape seventh.

“It was 2 hours of pain, heartbreak and dream each successful one,” she said astatine nan finish.

Ferrand-Prevot’s triumph was ne'er successful uncertainty and she launched an onslaught to clinch nan last shape and summation her overnight lead.

The 33-year-old had put herself mostly successful power by winning Saturday’s eighth and penultimate shape pinch an audacious solo breakaway connected nan past climb. That gave her an overnight lead of 2:37 seconds complete Gigante and 3:18 complete Demi Vollering.

Sunday’s ninth shape from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel was a 124km trek featuring 3 large upland climbs. But Ferrand-Prevot did not look immoderate large attacks and alternatively launched 1 of her ain pinch 6km left.

The crowds shouted her each nan measurement to nan decorativeness statement and, moments later, nan tears flowed arsenic she laic connected her back, exhausted but elated. Vollering was 20 seconds down successful 2nd spot and Kasia Niewiadoma followed successful 3rd spot arsenic they sprinted to nan line.

Earlier, Ferrand-Prevot was pinch Gigante, 24, and a fewer others erstwhile they tackled nan mammoth climb up Col de Joux Plane – an 11.6km grind pinch a gradient of 8.5%.

Gigante is known to person problem descending astatine velocity and was dropped connected nan agelong downhill. She could not dress up nan time, particularly pinch nary teammates to thief her, and mislaid her podium spot, finishing sixth overall, six minutes and 40 seconds down nan winner.

“It was a ace difficult day, I was already emotion not truthful beardown physically going up nan Joux Plane,” she said astatine nan finish. “I was hoping to get distant and person a caput commencement earlier nan downhill, but I was beautiful overmuch getting dropped by nan top. And past of people nan descent was conscionable truthful hard. It was a agelong time out.”

The different Australians to complete nan Tour de France Femmes were Neve Bradbury (71st), Lauretta Hanson (75th), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (78th) and Emily Watts (114th).

Having won Olympic golden successful upland biking and conquered nan cobblestones of nan Paris-Roubaix classic, Ferrand-Prevot added different statement to her sparkling CV pinch a Tour victory.