"I’m here at the Giro to leave a mark" - Elisa Longo Borghini keen to impress as the Giro d'Italia Donne gets underway

The 34th edition of the Giro d'Italia Donne gets underway later today (30th June). A former runner-up at the race in 2017, Elisa Longo Borghini is keen to impress in front of her fellow Italians.

"I’m here at the Giro to leave a mark on it. That’s my aim and, also, the aim of Lidl-Trek," says the 31-year-old, recently crowned Italian national champion and national time-trial champion, to her team's official website. "We have a strong team and we’re really motivated to show it. I think we can be really competitive both in stage hunting and having a look to the GC."

As mentioned, Longo Borghini is a former runner-up at the Giro d'Italia Donne and last year finished fourth. This time around however, she isn't beginning the race intently focused on the general classification, as she explains herself.

"This year, I’m approaching the Giro without the GC at the top of my wish list. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m here on holiday, but I do feel that I can live the race day by day, step by step, looking for stages first of all and seeing how the GC battle will play out. I’m prepared for the race and I’m sure I’ll soon reach the top of my condition." she says. "For me, the Giro is always my home race, the one I maybe have the strongest feelings towards, especially with the Tricolore jersey on my shoulders which gives a huge boost of confidence to do my best."