"You always have to go for a victory. Otherwise don't start a race and you better stay in bed" - Mixed emotions for Elisa Longo Borghini after Strade Bianche Donne 2nd

In a thrilling edition of Strade Bianche Donne, the winner in 2017, Elisa Longo Borghini came close to doubling up but eventually had to settle for second behind world champion, Lotte Kopecky.

"You always have to go for a victory. Otherwise don't start a race and you better stay in bed," reflected the Italian National Champion in her immediate post-race interview with Cycling News among others. "Second was the best I could do today. I knew it was pretty tight with Lotte and in the end, the strongest won."

Although Team SD Worx-Protime again proved their dominance on the women's peloton, taking first through Kopecky and third through Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini's Lidl-Trek team really did their best to make an impact of their own. "We can be satisfied because Shirin van Anrooij was also fifth and we raced really, really well and every single rider of the team gave their 110%" says Longo Borghini. "I just want to thank everyone from the riders and the staff from Lidl-Trek and also they put a lot of belief in me which is never taken for granted."

"I knew that they surely would try to isolate Shirin and I because we showed in Omloop Het Niewsblad that we can work well together. The first one to go was Demi and then Lotte countered. I knew it was a good move just by instinct and yeah, I just followed her," she concludes. "I tried my best, but my legs were a bit empty. Sometimes everyone plays their own game in cycling. In the end...she had better legs and that's all. I'm here and I'm happy to be back where I think I belong. It's a nice feeling and I can't wait to race again."