"Not ideal to fall ill during the race" - Elisa Longo Borghini clarifies concerns following surprisingly poor showing at Strade Bianche Donne

Elisa Longo Borghini was viewed by many as one of the standout contenders for the victory at Strade Bianche Donne 2025 on Saturday afternoon in Tuscany. Sadly for the Italian national champion though, things went badly wrong as she was dropped surprisingly early and eventually came home in 55th over 16 minutes down on race-winner Demi Vollering.

Taking to her official Instagram account the day following the race, Longo Borghini clarified the situation that saw her drop away so dramatically. Rather than a crash, as befell her fellow UAE leader Tadej Pogacar (although he still won anyway), for the UAE Team ADQ star it was illness. "Surely not ideal to fall ill during the race yesterday but they say it’s part of the game," writes the 33-year-old. "Still have my doubts about it but that’s something else…"

Given the fact that it was 'only' illness rather than a crash or serious injuries, there is still hope that Longo Borghini can get to a strong level and pose a serious threat for the remainder of the Spring. Firstly though, there's only one thing on the Italian's mind. "Time to rest properly and recover fully before the rest of the Italian races," she concludes.