“I was always a helper” - Elisa Longo Borghini’s husband bows out with cycling superstar by his side

Jacopo Mosca brought his professional career to a close at Gran Piemonte with Elisa Longo Borghini there to share the moment, ending his final race on familiar roads after years spent making his name as one of the peloton’s trusted helpers.

The 33-year-old had chosen a fitting place to stop. Born in Savigliano and still based in Piemonte with Longo Borghini, Mosca had family and friends scattered around a race route filled with memories stretching back to his earliest years on a bike.

“Piemonte is my region and I feel at home everywhere here because I have memories all over the place from racing when I was a kid,” he told Cycling Pro Net before the start.

His wife was determined to be part of the occasion too, although getting there did not initially go entirely to plan. “My wife was actually stuck in traffic, so I don’t know if she’ll make it to the start, but I’m sure she’s doing her best,” Mosca joked. “I’m sure I’ll see her on the road and at the finish.”

Longo Borghini did make it, with the pair together after Mosca had crossed a finish line as a professional rider for the final time.

For much of their respective careers they have occupied very different spaces within the same sport. Longo Borghini has become one of the defining riders of her generation, winning some of cycling’s biggest races, while Mosca increasingly found his value away from the spotlight. “I was always a helper and I tried to be the best helper possible,” Mosca said when discussing his retirement with Lidl-Trek earlier this week.

That role took him through five editions of the Giro d’Italia, two Vueltas a España and countless days working for teammates rather than chasing a result of his own. He retires with three professional victories, but his longevity at WorldTour level was built far more on the jobs that rarely appear on a results sheet.

Gran Piemonte was different. There was still a race number on his back and work to be done, but Mosca had allowed himself to think about what would be waiting once the racing stopped. “My family is here, my parents, my friends,” he told Cycling Pro Net. “I just can’t wait to get to the finish line and enjoy the moment.”

Mosca will not be disappearing from Lidl-Trek now that his racing career is over. He is set to become a sports director with the team in 2027, swapping his place in the bunch for a seat in the car.

Even on the morning of his farewell, he could see the humour in how little one part of the job might actually change. “I joke that in the end I’ll still be chasing the bunch, just in the car,” Mosca said. “It’ll be a little different but not too much. Same same, but different.”

The move also gives him the chance to pass on the sort of racing knowledge that helped sustain his own career. Mosca spoke about wanting younger riders to look beyond the numbers that increasingly dominate professional cycling. “I hope I can also bring something to the younger riders and remind them that it’s not only about the numbers,” he explained. “You need to use your head as well, and if you believe in something, you can make it happen.”

Longo Borghini has influenced that outlook too. “That’s something I’ve also learned from Elisa,” Mosca added. “So I think I’ll have a lot to pass on to the others.”

For once, though, there was no teammate to shepherd into position and no leader whose race mattered more than his own. Gran Piemonte was Mosca’s last afternoon in the bunch, and the people closest to him were waiting when it was over.