'I just don't feel the best' – Lingering illness continues to disrupt Elisa Longo Borghini with time running out to recover fully for Tour of Flanders

Elisa Longo Borghini returned to racing from illness at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, but she wasn't able to defend her title at full strength, eventually finishing 22nd, having played a team role while still feeling the effects of a nasty bout with the flu.

Fighting an undying cough throughout the day, the Italian Champion tried her hardest to help her UAE ADQ teammates get something out of the race, keeping the lead of Marlen Reusser, who attacked in the final 25km, at just five seconds heading into the final phase of the race.

UAE had the numeric advantage in the group of favourites for much of the run back to Waregem, but after Longo Borghini, Eleonora Gasparrini and Silvia Persico ran out of steam, the best Karlijn Swinkels could manage was ninth from the chasing group, who finished seven seconds behind winner Reusser and Demi Vollering.

"Today I was really not feeling good, and we tried to pull on the Nokeberg asphalt as much as we could to reduce the gap and to let Karlijn jump. From then on, I don't know what happened because I got dropped," said Longo Borghini in the mixed zone.

"Unluckily, I got a big flu, which kept me off the competitions and trainings for 10 days, and I have a cough that is not really going away, so I just don't feel the best. I hope so."

Even before the start of the race, Longo Borghini was still being affected by her cough, so she wasn't expecting too much from the one-day race, mainly hoping it would serve as somewhat of a warm-up for Sunday's Tour of Flanders.

"I've been pretty sick the last 10 days, and this is my first race back. I'm not 100% recovered, so I don't know," said the Italian.

"We will see how we feel today, and I will just go with the flow. I had a big flu, like seasonal flu, and a strong cough. It's still not gone completely, but somewhere you have to start, so it is what it is, and you have to race.

"I feel ready to race; we will discover today, but with the medical staff, we decided I was healthy enough to take the start, and with no pressure."

Even in the absence of their main leader at Milan-San Remo and In Flanders Fields, Longo Borghini's teammates have continued to impress as one of the top units in the women's peloton.

At both races, they got two riders into the strong leading groups that fought out the finales, where others only got one, but could only manage top results of third-place at either. It's the killer instinct and high talent of a serial winner like the Italian that they have lacked, so her best form returning and this cough disappearing is what they will hope happens before the start in Oudenaarde.

"It's a nice race to get used to racing again for Sunday. Flanders is for sure one of the big goals for the team, and we showed that the team is really strong and prepared to race the big stuff, not only with me but also with other riders," Longo Borghini told Cyclingnews.

"I don't know how I'll feel on Sunday, but for sure I'll be there contesting the race and helping my teammates try and win."

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