Elisa Longo Borghini wins Italian road title

For the second time in her career, Elisa Longo Borghini will wear the jersey of Italian road race champion. The 28-year-old, riding with her club GS Fiamme Oro, soloed in to take her second National Championship of the year after winning the women's time trial in August.

"It's crazy, I can hardly find the words to say what happened today," Longo Borghini said to Tuttobiciweb. "Wearing the tricolor is always something absolutely special, there is a kind of magic that envelops this jersey. It is an honor to be able to wear it again for an entire season, I will try to give it the prominence it deserves and I'm sure it will give me an extra boost."

All eyes were on Longo Borghini on the hilly circuit in Breganze, but she marked every attack from the 81-rider peloton and then went solo to take the title ahead Katie Ragusa (Astana) and Marta Cavalli (Valcar-Travel & Service).

"Today I knew that I had a 99 per cent chance of losing this Italian championship and a 1 per cent chance of winning, but I wanted to play this 1 per cent very well. Yesterday with the team we planned everything in detail, each girl knew how and when to act, they were simply perfect. I feel like thanking them one by one because they did an incredible job. 

"In this victory there is a lot of the Fiamme Oro who supported me in an impressive way even today, but also the Trek Segafredo team because in the end it is with them that I will wear the tricolor."

The win ends the season for Longo Borghini, who started the season after the coronavirus lockdown and won her first career stage of the Giro Rosa.

"It was a really strange season, but also a very beautiful one. After the lockdown I started again with the idea of trying to win a race, instead I went like a train and I took a lot of satisfaction, I'm really happy.

"If I have to be honest, I still haven't realized everything that happened, there were so many emotions one on top of the other, I only miss the last race in Madrid.

"For sure after that last effort I will be able to catch my breath and become aware of what I did. The thing I am sure of is that next year will be equally challenging, even more so because I will have to put all my energy into confirming everything I have done."