Just as this piece goes online, the Giro d'Italia Donne He's off. And he's done it, or rather, he's doing it, with the 26,7-kilometer Fossano-Cuneo team time trial.
You say Cuneo and you say Piedmont. You say Piedmont and you think of Elisa Longo Borghini, the beacon of "our" athletes as far as the general classification is concerned. Elisa, like Filippo Gana, has the opportunity to start this, her tenth adventure at the Giro from her region. Of course, it won't be easy for her to open the Giro like the "national Pippo" did, but who knows. Meanwhile, the standard-bearer of the Trek-Segafredo She is well and confident, especially since in these ten stages she will be able to show off the Italian champion's jersey (both in the time trial and on the road). And last year it was she who wore pink at the end of the opening team time trial.
Love and hate
"I'm approaching the Giro with great serenity," Longo Borghini said. "I feel good, I'm calm and happy to be racing with the team again. There's great understanding and harmony between us, and I'm happy to be back with teammates I haven't raced with in a while, like Lizzie (Deignan, ed.) and Ellen (VanDijk, ed).
«My relationship with this race is one of “love and hate”. Love because it's the great Giro on the women's calendar, the longest race, and what's more, in my country. It's a tough and highly coveted race. The emotions the Giro has given me in my career have been incredible, something that will forever remain in my history as an athlete. Hate, however, because so far, in all my experiences at the Giro, I've always had a bad day. And unfortunately, when the classic bad day comes, I tend to lose too much time in the general classification. I don't have half measures."
And what Elisa says is absolutely true. If you look back at her rankings, you'll notice a real "seesaw": eighth, eleventh, second, tenth... But it must also be said that she has matured a lot and has improved significantly on the uphill. Not to mention that as the years go by, qualities like stamina and consistency "arrive" more naturally. His last real crisis was towards Montasio at the 2019 Giro when he lost almost 3' to a very strong and fit rider Van der Breggen.
Rich parterre
And speaking of climbs, this year there's no shortage of them. The director of the Giro, Joseph Rivolta, He says it's a tough course, but not a very tough one. For the athletes, Elisa included, that doesn't seem to be the case.
"This year's route," Longo explains, "is challenging right from the start, with the opening team time trial and the finish in Prato Nevoso (on the second day, ed.). The ranking will immediately begin to take shape there. The fate of the race will be decided by the Formazza time trial and the ascent of Matajur on the penultimate stage."
All this with a very rich parterre, as always, starting with the defending champion, Anne Van der Breggen. Even if she won't be in the game, Van Vleuten queen of the 2018 and 2019 editions.
«But I don't underestimate either Mikayla Harvey e Cecilia Ludwig – added Elisa – A race like the Giro can bring some surprises, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an outsider emerge. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in good shape. I did some intense work between May and June at high altitude, in Sestriere. The time trial and road race victories at the Italian championships were a pleasant confirmation. However, I feel the need to compare myself with the others to understand if I can aim for the overall or stage wins. I don't want to burden myself with excessive pressure or ambitions."
First two indicative stages
And in this sense, the first two stages will already be more than indicative. From these first kilometers of the race, both Elisa and many of her opponents will know that the Giro will have to (and will be) run.
«I'm here to do well, but I want to really understand my level with the first two stages. The Giro Donne is the last step in the long preparation towards Tokyo But it's not just a stepping stone to the Olympics. It's a very important event in my season regardless. I'm here to leave a mark which can also give me a significant morale boost. And then, I'm racing in Italy wearing the tricolor: honoring this jersey is a goal."
