Longo Borghini Hospitalised With Concussion After Tour of Flanders Crash — Spring Campaign in Serious Doubt
Elisa Longo Borghini has been hospitalised at Ghent University Hospital with a concussion after being involved in a serious crash during the Tour of Flanders Women on Saturday. The Italian champion, who was defending her 2025 title, went down in a heavy fall early in the 168.8km race as the peloton approached the first cobbled sector. UAE Team ADQ confirmed the diagnosis late on Saturday evening, adding another devastating chapter to what has been a torrid spring for the 33-year-old.
Longo Borghini initially attempted to remount and rejoin the peloton after the crash, but was quickly pulled from the race by her team car after showing signs of confusion following a heavy blow to the head. She was transported to Ghent University Hospital by ambulance, where scans confirmed a significant concussion. Doctors found no signs of internal bleeding, but the Italian was kept under 24-hour observation as a precautionary measure.
"Her progress will be closely monitored over the coming days," said a UAE Team ADQ medical statement released on Sunday morning. "Elisa has been released from hospital but will not be able to travel home for three days. A minimum of one week of complete rest will follow before any return to training can be considered. The UCI concussion protocol must be followed in full before she is cleared to race again."
The timing could hardly be worse. Longo Borghini had already endured a disrupted spring after a viral upper respiratory tract infection forced her to miss Milan-San Remo Women in March. She returned at Dwars door Vlaanderen but was visibly below her best, finishing 22nd while still battling a lingering cough. Flanders was supposed to be the race where she rediscovered her Monument-winning form — instead, it delivered another cruel setback.
The immediate question is whether Longo Borghini can recover in time for Paris-Roubaix Femmes on April 12. The UCI's concussion protocol, introduced in 2024, requires a minimum recovery period and a graduated return-to-activity process that makes a start in Roubaix next Saturday all but impossible. Even the Amstel Gold Race Ladies on April 19 would be ambitious given the timeline, leaving Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 26 as the earliest realistic target — and even that would require a rapid, symptom-free recovery.
The crash adds Longo Borghini to a growing casualty list from the 2026 cobbled Classics. Marlen Reusser suffered a vertebra fracture and Kim Le Court broke her wrist in a separate incident at the same race, while earlier in the spring Stefan Kung and Ben Swift were both seriously injured at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The alarming frequency of crashes has reignited debate about rider safety in the women's peloton, where the combination of narrow roads, high speeds and aggressive racing continues to produce devastating consequences.
For the Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Longo Borghini's expected absence removes one of the pre-race favourites and reshuffles the contenders list. Lotte Kopecky will start as the overwhelming favourite after her record fourth Flanders title, with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot the defending Roubaix champion and Lorena Wiebes the sprint threat if the race comes together on the Roubaix velodrome. Longo Borghini, a two-time Roubaix podium finisher, will be watching from home as cycling's newest Monument delivers what promises to be its toughest edition yet.