«Cittiglio's victory was the highlight of the spring – says Elisa Longo Borghini – but I must say that the Mur d'Huy also gave me great satisfaction, because I ran with a clarity that I sometimes forget in the drawer and don't take with me when running...".
A Turin is about to start Tour of Italy, but everywhere you turn you notice how much cycling there is in Europe. The pros are racing in the Algarve, the girls are at Valenciana. Elisa is at home and has started training seriously again a few days ago after the classics season. Soon, however, she too will start again from Spain, then she will focus on Giro Rosa with the Olympics in his sights. It's the right time to relive the first part of the season and build a bridge over the second.
Instinct and coldness in Huy
"I think too much," he continues, "I know it myself. And sometimes This is why I tend to miss the moment when I think about itOr I react too quickly. I'm always ready. I attack. I chase. I will never be a calculator, but at the Flèche Wallonne I managed to quickly make the right calculations.I understood that if I had stayed at the wheel of Anna Van der Breggen I would have hurt myself. So I dropped her and picked up my pace. I let the two following me pass, thinking that I would have them as a reference point.And when I got to the 180 meters on the Mur d'Huy, I said to myself: “It's time to sprint.” So I went. I jumped them. And third place came.”
Borgia's help
It's not an easy path. There are riders with innate composure. Those who make a virtue of it because they know they only have one bullet to fire and must do so methodically. And then there are those with a lot of strength and have always been accustomed to resolving situations by opening the throttle. Yet what happened in Huy suggests a different path.
«Maybe it's my case – he admits – I often have a good condition, it comes easy to meSometimes the vein closes and I leave. Perhaps with more composure and less effort, better results could be achieved. I'm working on it. The team collaborates with Elizabeth Borgia, who is a very good mental coachBut I think you get there with experience, by doing it and doing it again..."
Aunt Elisa
Elisa and her newfound smile were born last year after the lockdown, when he realized the beauty he had in his life and the risk of losing it.
"I'm fine," he admits, "I'm having fun. Sometimes moments like this help you achieve many things. And if you realize you're lucky with the life you have, you also feel... live it more lightly without taking it for grantedI've been at home these days. It was a gentle recovery, which was needed. A little relaxation with the family that I needed, because I've been away for a long time for the races and before, when we tried to stay with the team as much as possible. I took advantage of the yellow zone to go and see some friends. I took my grandchildren out on their bikesThey are Paolo's children. Anna, who is 12 years old. Marta, the second, who is 9. Then Cristian and Pietro, the latest arrival. Anna is already training on the road. We went out with her and my brother in the Ornavasso areaMarta trains with Pietro and other children on a circuit in the industrial area. They are beautiful moments, but in the meantime, I started training again on Monday tooJust yesterday I did five hours and next week we start again. On May 13th at the Emakumeen Nafarroako, on the 14th at the Navarra Classics and on the 16th at the Grand Prix of Eibar, in the Basque Country. And then on the 20th the Vuelta Burgos.
Test Line of Business
Spain will be the first step towards the Giro Rosa and the Giro Rosa will be the springboard towards the Olympics, in a consecutio that allows her not to make too many flights of fancy and to give a logic to the work, so that all that thinking gives her a break and she can focus on one goal at a time.
«We are going to Spain to get back into the swing of things – he confirms – and to manage the transition from the classics period to the GiroThese are challenging races, where I'll really be able to test my legs. Come back to Italy, We will go on retreat to Sestriere, for the altitude and to see the first stages of the Giro, which starts in Cuneo, but for example has the finish in Prato Nevoso, which we'll go and see. There's also a hill climb near my house, but it's inconvenient to get to, and I know it very well anyway. Testing the routes is useful. We have platforms and supports that allow you to see the roads, but personal feedback is what allows you to choose the relationships, for exampleThe Giro will be a goal, but I don't feel like saying: I'll go and win it. Partly because it's not in my nature to make proclamations and also because I know I have to work. Work and sacrifice are a constant in my lifeI'll show up in good condition and then we'll see the others. The routes are tough and I'm not a pure climberA Van der Breggen weighs 5 kilos less than me and on certain slopes you can feel it. But I'll still be there fighting."
In Tokyo, if anything…
And then the time will come to think about Tokyo, even though there's still a lot of time and it makes you understand that the thought is there, but for now it's sitting on the shelf.
«It's better to go one step at a time – he confirms – now Spain, then Sestriere, then the Giro. There are many things to do, to flatten everything around the Olympics."
He's right, but the memory of the bronze in Rio often surfaces in memoriesJust as we happen to think of Salvoldi's words, one evening on Etna at the beginning of the season.
"Every time I talk about call-ups with Longo Borghini," the Italian coach said, "I ask her: 'When did I leave you out?' And she points her finger and replies: 'In London!'"
Elisa listens and half smiles.
«I prefer to look at the Olympics I have to do – he says – rather than the ones I haven't done. But I was definitely very disappointed. Running in London was a dream for me, but you have to accept the choices."
Now enough with the uncomfortable thoughts. That flash of clarity on the Mur d'Huy is an excellent reference. The season is about to get back into full swing And imagining her on her roads, building her fitness to reach further milestones, brings a smile to your face. It might be the tricolor jersey she wears. It might be her generosity while racing. It might be her gaze and her smile. Whatever it is, it's natural to think of her as our most beautiful flag.
