Champion, Elisa Longo Borghini (Team Lidl Trek) is ready to face her twelfth Giro d’Italia and her fourth bearing the tricolour insignia. The Lidl Trek team’s athlete had a dream week in Chianciano Terme winning an incredible seventh Italian time trial title and fourth road race title.
Since 2014, the champion from Ornavasso has been a regular at the women’s Giro, working hard to honour the competition with her best performances. In 2017, she was one step away from winning the pink jersey, finishing second behind Anna van der Breggen. In 2020, she finished third in the general leaderboard, behind Anna van der Breggen and Katarzyna Newiadoma; in the same year she wore the pink jersey after the opening time trial in Grosseto and won the eighth stage with the arrival in San Marco la Catola. She appears seven times in the roll of honour as the best Italian winner of the blue jersey (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).
In addition to the eleven Italian titles, Elisa Longo Borghini’s palmares also features the Olympic bronze for the road race in 2016 and 2021, the World bronze in 2012 and 2020, a Tour of Flanders (2015) and a Paris-Roubaix (2022).
Speaking about her participation in Giro Donne, Elisa Longo Borghini said, “It is a wonderful feeling to be on the streets of my country while bearing the tricolour, it is a distinctive symbol that fills me with pride and charges up my batteries for the competition. Last time I wore it was in 2021, when I found myself in a bit of trouble during some stages. People on the streets literally pushed me with their cheer, they didn’t all know my name, but the tricolour was a symbol in which they identified. It truly gave me an extra boost and thanks to the warmth of the people I had the resolve to never give up and to fight with the utmost determination.”
“Women’s Giro d’Italia really means a lot to me, it has always been the longest and most important race of the women’s calendar. The Tour de France has attracted the attention of many athletes, but as an Italian cyclist Giro Donne will always have a special place in my heart. I really care about participating in it, it almost feels like a duty to my country and to the people supporting me, we must always honour the races of our homeland.”
“We have a very strong team and I think we will all stick together and help each other. I will not aim for the overall ranking, but I will still face Giro Donne with true grit and tenacity. My goal and that of the team are the stage victories, every day I will ride with determination, giving my all while always being ready to catch every opportunity to best honour the jersey of an Italian champion.”
