With a stunning solo attack in the last 30 km of the race, Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini claimed a brilliant victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen, marking the 50th win of her professional career.
It was an outstanding performance by the UAE Team ADQ leader, who first relied on her teammates’ efforts before bridging solo to the leading duo (Kraak and Reusser). Then, with incredible tenacity and determination, she powered ahead alone to the finish line, crossing it with a 29-second advantage over the first chasing group, which was led in the sprint by world champion Lotte Kopecky.
This triumph marks her 50th professional victory, further confirming her class and excellent form just days before the Tour of Flanders, where she will try to win for the third time on Sunday.
Elisa Longo Borghini said: “Today, this was a victory I really wanted to achieve. We have faced many challenges in recent weeks, with my teammate Silvia Persico suffering a rib injury, Karlijn Swinkels dealing with a physical issue in the last few days, and today we started with only five riders. But my teammates did an incredible job. Febe Jooris and Hannah Kunz supported me from the start alongside Tereza Neumanova, and then in the final, Sofia Bertizzolo gave me great help by positioning me perfectly on the Eikenberg, where I could attack. From there, I just went all in and believed in the win. Today, I wanted to win to show everyone that despite the difficulties we have faced, we are a strong team, we are a united team, and we are true racers.”
Unlucky Hannah Kunz, involved in a crash and taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a couple of fractures in her arm and hand.
(ph. @gettysport)
