Italian cycling star Elisa Longo Borghini believes that the new position of the rebranded Giro d'Italia Women in the 2024 calendar will bode well for a strong field in the run-up to next summer's Olympic Games.
New organiser RCS Sport formally launched the 2024 edition of the race on Friday, –formerly known as the Giro d'Italia Donne, but now known as the Giro d'Italia Women. Previously starting in late June, in 2024 it will have eight stages, from July 7-14.
This will mean it continues to overlap with the attention-grabbing men's Tour de France. But with the Giro organisation now aligned with the men's event there are hopes that the level of professionalism and media exposure surrounding the long-running women's race will now align more closely with that seen at the May Grand Tour.
“For me, it’s the perfect combination," Longo Borghini told Cyclingnews. "It’s the perfect race for just before the Olympics and I think many other riders will probably be doing the same - at least I hope so.”
The Giro organiser and dates aren't the only changes as while the course of the women's race is yet to be revealed, with that saved for a stand-alone announcement. It has been disclosed that there will be eight stages, instead of the nine of 2023 and ten of previous editions.
“People are always debating about the length of these stage races but we showed at the Tour de France, that only with eight stages it's a great showcase. So I really don’t look at the eight stages of the Giro as something that we are losing. But surely we are gaining," said Longo Borghini, focussing on the bigger picture.
"We will gain a lot of media attention, spectacle and spectators, and then being so close to the Olympics it will be surely attended by a lot of big stars.”
Since the full-scale revival of the Tour de France Femmes in 2022, the traditional proximity of the women's Giro d'Italia to the French race has meant that while some of the big names have taken on the double, such as Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), others like Demi Vollering (SD Worx) have chosen to focus purely on the yellow jersey. The Tour de France Femmes, however, will be later this year due to the Olympics, with the women's road race on August 4 and the French women's tour running from August 12, instead of in late July.
As to what Grand Tours those big stars will be tackling in 2024 Longo Borghini, who has lined up for 12 editions of the Giro d'Italia Women and twice stood on the overall podium, is hoping for a challenging route for her 13th participation.
“I would really like to see a hard Giro d’Italia because we always say the Giro is the hardest race in the most beautiful country,” said the dual Italian road and time trial champion, making her affection for her homeland clear.
