Elisa Longo Borghini going to celebrate her first Tour podium with a "week's worth rest on the couch"

Cycling
Sunday, 09 August 2026 at 23:00
Elisa Longo Borghini at the 2026 Tour of Flanders
Even though Elisa Longo Borghini was not at her best during the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, the Italian champion secured a podium spot through tenacity and consistence. While many pre-race favourites fell out of contention during the week, Longo Borghini persisted and an overall third place is her well-deserved reward.
On the final day in Nice, the GC battle opened up soon as the main group shrunk to only a select few very early into the stage. And when third-overall Marlen Reusser dropped with 60 kilometers to go and a little later crashed too, the situation was suddenly perfect for Longo Borghini who only had to make sure not to lose a minute to Antonia Niedermaier who has been working for Kasia Niewiadoma.
In the end, the defensive approach fit Longo Borghini quite well as she herself did not feel 100% on the last ascent of Col d'Eze. Thus, following when race leader Demi Vollering accelerated was not really an option. But with the help of Paula Blasi, the UAE Team L'IMAD ladies avoided any dangerous scenario.
"I told Paula (teammate Paula Blasi, ed.) not to ride too hard on the climbs," said the Italian champion. "I couldn’t keep up with Demi (Vollering) and Kasia (Niewiadoma). Eventually, I started focusing on Niedermaier to achieve the best possible result. I made sure she couldn’t attack."
"In the end, we went for the sprint with Paula. I even had a flat tire myself at the finish. But that was it as far as bad luck went this year. Compared to previous years, it wasn't too bad at all. It is incredible that I am standing here on the podium," said the UAE L'IMAD rider.

A podium, at last

Longo Borghini therefore concludes the 2026 Tour de France Femmes in third position, 4:19 behind overall winner Demi Vollering, in what is her career best result at the French Grand Tour (previously DNF, DNF, and 6th).
As for Longo Borghini, the 34-year-old now above all craves a bit of rest, hoping to return fresh for the World and European Championships and Italian autumn classics. "Now I just want to go home, see my friends and family. And lie on the couch for a week," she concluded with a laugh.
UAE Team L'IMAD have further two riders in top-7 with Paula Blasi in 5th spot (and second in white jersey competition) and Dominika Wlodarczyk in 7th. No wonder, the Emirati team also secures a team classification title.
claps 1visitors 1
loading

Just in

Popular news

Latest comments

Loading