"Maybe I was the strongest, but not always the strongest wins" - Elisa Longo Borghini regretful after another Liege-Bastogne-Liege near miss
Cycling
For the second year running, Elisa Longo Borghini was forced to settle for a heartbreaking second place at Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes on Sunday afternoon. After Demi Vollering edged her out last year, Grace Brown took victory in 2024.
"The sprint was a very long one actually. Katarzyna Niewiadoma had a gap, I didn’t close it and then I waited until 150 meters to go to open up my sprint," the Italian leader of Lidl-Trek recalls of the dramatic finale that saw a six-woman group battle it out for the monument win. "In the last 75 meters Grace overcame me. I have to say that I’m satisfied, I came here for a good result and I had good legs. I tried my best and today the fastest won, so congratulations to Grace Brown, she was really the fastest. For me, I can say that I did my best along with my teammates."
Pre-race, Longo Borghini talked up her longstanding love affection with Liege-Bastogne-Liege, so to narrowly miss out on taking the win yet again must be a bitter blow for the 32-year-old Italian. "Maybe I was the strongest, but not always the strongest wins," she concludes honestly.
"Sometimes it’s the fastest or the smartest, and this is what makes cycling fantastic in my opinion," Longo Borghini concludes. "I don’t think I did too much, I just did what I had to do."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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A second place 🥈 can come with frustration, but not when you get it without leaving any stone unturned to be the best. So, ne regrets for @ElisaLongoB after the second silver medal in row at #LBLwomen. Read our report and her reaction 👇 racing.trekbikes.com/stories/lidl-t…
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