The last two editions of the Giro d’Italia Women have been a dream come true for Elisa Longo Borghini, but the rider who has now claimed the maglia rosa for two years running can’t say the same of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
“The Tour de France has been a little bit my nightmare race these days,” Longo Borghini told Cyclingnews last month. “In 2023, I didn't finish it because of an infection. In 2024, I eliminated myself before, because I crashed and I wasn't able to walk for five days.”
There can certainly be no doubt about the Italian’s Grand Tour ability, not after two wins in Italy. Even with her runs in France being less than ideal, she was in fourth overall when she had to quit in 2023 and also came sixth overall in 2022.
When she looked ahead to what would unfurl at the race this year, as specific as she could be, understandably, was to be at the start and “doing a nice race”.
She is just a day away from ticking off the first goal, and as she rolled through the line of media, much in demand as a dual Giro winner, she looked relaxed and ready. She recovered for a couple of days after the considerable effort involved in once again claiming the maglia rosa and then went straight back into training in Andorra.
So how is she feeling now that she has hit the eve of her ‘nightmare race’?
“For a start, I’m here – I hope I also am going to be at the end and healthy. But yeah, I’m feeling OK, feeling ready,” Longo Borghini told Cyclingnews in Vannes.
"Especially, I feel relaxed. The pressure is off after the Giro, and we are here hunting stages, not looking at GC, so I’m pretty happy to have this mindset.”
“I just would like to race freely and be aggressive and opportunistic,” she later added when asked what she was looking forward to about the race.
The plan to chase the GC at the Giro and stages at the Tour de France Femmes was set in place back in October as, "I work with goals," said Longo Borghini, "that's how I work," and this year, at least, that means yellow is not the target, this year at least.
“Maybe next year is going to be the other way around, you know, I like to have goals set.”
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