Longo Borghini's Flanders Defense in Doubt as Flu Lingers Into Race Week
Two-time Tour of Flanders Women champion Elisa Longo Borghini arrives in Oudenaarde under a cloud, after her UAE Team ADQ management confirmed on Friday that the Italian is still feeling the after-effects of the flu that has hampered her for much of the cobbled Classics block.
Speaking to reporters at the team hotel on the eve of Sunday's Monument, sports director Joxean Fernández Matxin admitted that his leader is "not at one hundred per cent" and that the squad has recalibrated its tactics for a race Longo Borghini has twice won, most recently during her time at Lidl-Trek. "Elisa will line up, but we have to be realistic," he said. "If the legs are not there on the Kwaremont, we have other cards to play."
Longo Borghini contracted the virus in the lead-up to Strade Bianche and has struggled to reach peak condition since, quietly slipping out of the picture at Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, where she was dropped well before the finale. The 33-year-old, who was crowned Italian road champion last summer, had been tipped as one of the podium favourites before illness derailed her spring.
Her struggles leave the race wide open at the top. Lotte Kopecky starts as the co-favourite alongside Demi Vollering, who arrives in fine form after winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and running Marlen Reusser desperately close at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday. World champion Kopecky is chasing a record-extending fourth Ronde title and will have the weight of the home crowd behind her.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is also expected to be a major animator after a blistering solo performance across the Koppenberg at Dwars. The Frenchwoman, back in road racing full time with Visma-Lease a Bike, has openly targeted a first Ronde van Vlaanderen title and has looked sharper on the cobbles than at any point in her career. Reusser, meanwhile, will relish the longer distance after her Dwars door Vlaanderen victory.
UAE Team ADQ are expected to switch to a more opportunistic strategy if Longo Borghini is unable to follow the key moves. Teammate Silvia Persico is a former podium finisher on the cobbles and could benefit from a free role, while the team's strong engine room should ensure they are represented in any late selection over the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.
"I will do everything I can tomorrow," Longo Borghini said in a brief statement. "It has been a frustrating spring, but I love this race too much not to give it a try. Whatever happens, the team comes first." A subdued message from a rider who normally arrives at her favourite Monument brimming with confidence — and a sign that Sunday's 168km showdown across the Flemish bergs may well be decided without the reigning champion in the mix.