Elisa Longo Borghini may have dropped from second to third overall during the final stage of the La Vuelta Femenina but is still walking away from the first part of the season satisfied and with the lead in the Women's WorldTour.
The Italian champion entered the Spanish Grand Tour as co-leader with Gaia Realini, after having delivered a run of podiums through the spring which included victory at the Tour of Flanders. However, it turned out not to be an easy path through La Vuelta Femenina for the Lidl-Trek team, which lost Ellen van Dijk and Realini to crashes. That meant Longo Borghini, who already had a tiring solid block of racing behind her, was left to try and defend second with a depleted squad and without her key climbing ally.
“I was not at my very best level, but I fought hard with my teammates as we did believe until the very end that we could keep the second place," said Longo Borghini in a team media release. "In the end, it wasn’t possible and I finished third. This is sport – sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
"But, third place in the Vuelta is not a bad result, hey? Everyone was super supportive, so thank you to my teammates and the staff for their work. It’s sad to lose the second place, but I did my 100%, and what else can I do? You have to smile, it’s still a good result," she said after taking to the final overall podium of La Vuelta for a third time, having come second at the growing race in both 2022 and 2020.
This time Longo Borghini had moved up to second overall on the first summit finish of the race and held that runner-up spot right through to the final day, but then in the last kilometres of the eight-stage race it slipped away. On the final climb, Longo Borghini dropped off the pace of a lead chase group that included her nearest rival on the GC, Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike).
The Tour of Flanders winner fought on but crossed the line 27 seconds behind Markus, who also got a four-second bonus for finishing third, along with another four she gained at an intermediate sprint. That meant the Visma-Lease a Bike rider secured the runner-up spot, 1:49 behind winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and 11 seconds ahead of Longo Borghini in third.
“I don’t think I made any mistake," said Longo Borghini. "I just gave my 100% and this is what I got."
Third overall at La Vuelta Femenina and two stage podiums, however, weren't the only things Longo Borghini swept up in Spain to add to her early season tally, which even before the Grand Tour had already included seven podiums and three wins.
"I am in the purple jersey as leader of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, and that means that I have been very consistent during my Spring," said Longo Borghini, who took the top spot on the top-tier series leaderboard from Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
"I’m satisfied with my first part of the season. Now it’s time to rest, reset and restart thinking of the second part of the season.”
That is likely to include two more Grand Tours for Longo Borghini and two more chances to work her way back up the overall podium.
