Elisa Longo Borghini secured double nationwide titles within the time trial and street race on the Italian Street Championships and has expressed her pleasure in sporting the tricolore jerseys on the upcoming Giro d’Italia Donne from June 30 to July 9, the place she goals to race with ‘true grit and tenacity.”
“It’s a great feeling to be on the streets of my nation whereas bearing the tricolore; it’s a distinctive image that fills me with pleasure and prices up my batteries for the competitors,” Longo Borghini mentioned.
“Final time I wore it was in 2021 when I discovered myself in a little bit of bother throughout some phases. Folks on the streets actually pushed me with their cheering, they didn’t all know my identify, however the tricolore was a logo with which they recognized.”
“It actually gave me an additional increase, and because of the heat of the individuals, I had the resolve to by no means hand over and to struggle with the utmost dedication.”
Elisa Longo Borghini captured a seventh profession time trial title and fourth street race title on the championships occasion close to Trento on the weekend.
The Giro d’Italia Donne route will cowl 928km throughout 9 phases and can traverse the 5 Italian areas of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Liguria and Sardinia.
It begins with a 4.4km particular person time trial in Chianciano on June 30. The principle characteristic of this yr’s race would be the Passo (Pian) del Lupo, which is marked because the ‘Cima Coppi’ of the Giro d’Italia Donne, the best peak of the race, on stage 5.
The route will cater to probably the most highly effective riders who can cowl each relentlessly steep pitches to lengthy high-mountain terrain.
Longo Borghini’s crew, which will likely be renamed Lidl-Trek with a brand new jersey design for the Tour de France and Giro Donne and onward, traces up with a number of playing cards to play together with Lizzie Deignan and Gaia Realini. Nevertheless, Longo Borghini confirmed she is not going to be vying for the general GC.
“We’ve a really robust crew, and I feel we’ll all stick collectively and assist one another. I cannot purpose for the general rating, however I’ll nonetheless race Giro Donne with true grit and tenacity,” she mentioned.
“My objective and that of the crew are the stage victories, each day, I’ll journey with dedication, giving my all whereas all the time being able to catch each alternative to finest honour the jersey of an Italian champion.”
The Giro d’Italia Donne is held in the identical month because the Tour de France Femmes (July 23-30), however Longo Borghini confused the significance of competing in her house stage race. She stood on the general podium in second in 2017 and third in 2020.
“The ladies’s Giro d’Italia actually means quite a bit to me, it has all the time been the longest and most necessary race of the ladies’s calendar. The Tour de France has attracted the eye of many athletes, however as an Italian bicycle owner, the Giro Donne will all the time have a particular place in my coronary heart,” Longo Borghini mentioned.
“I actually care about taking part in it. It virtually seems like an obligation to my nation and to the individuals supporting me. We should all the time honour the races of our homeland.”
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