Longo Borghini Released from Hospital After Flanders Crash — Paris-Roubaix Ruled Out, Ardennes the Target
Elisa Longo Borghini has been released from Ghent University Hospital after spending 24 hours under observation following a heavy crash at Saturday's Tour of Flanders Women. The defending champion suffered a concussion when she was caught in a mass pile-up early in the race, and her UAE Team ADQ squad pulled her from the race after she showed signs of confusion following a heavy blow to the head. Doctors have confirmed she is stable, but have cautioned that her progress will be closely monitored in the coming days.
The 34-year-old Italian has been sent home to recover and will follow the UCI's concussion protocol, which mandates a graduated return to physical activity before any competitive racing can resume. The timeline means that Paris-Roubaix Femmes on April 12 — a race she won in commanding fashion in 2024 — is now effectively ruled out. It would require clearance within five days, a scenario the team's medical staff have described as unrealistic given the severity of the impact.
"Elisa's health is our absolute priority," said UAE Team ADQ's doctor, Nele Beeckmans. "We will take every step in line with the UCI guidelines for concussion management. There is no rushing this process. We need to see her symptom-free and responding well to progressive loading before she can even consider returning to racing."
The loss of Longo Borghini from the Paris-Roubaix Femmes field significantly reshapes the favourites list for Saturday's Monument showdown. The Italian was among the most feared names on the startlist, her combination of power, tactical intelligence and experience on the cobbles making her a perennial contender. Her absence, combined with Demi Vollering's decision to skip Roubaix, leaves Lotte Kopecky and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot as the two outstanding favourites for cycling's newest Monument.
For Longo Borghini, however, the bigger picture extends beyond a single race. The Ardennes classics — Brabantse Pijl on April 17, Flèche Wallonne Féminine on April 22, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Féminine on April 27 — represent realistic targets if her recovery follows the expected trajectory. In 2025, she returned from a similar Flanders concussion to solo to victory at Brabantse Pijl just 12 days later, a performance that demonstrated both her remarkable resilience and the quality of the medical support around her.
Whether that timeline can be replicated remains to be seen. Concussion management has rightly become more cautious in professional cycling, and Longo Borghini herself has spoken publicly about the importance of not rushing back. But if she can clear the protocol in time, the Ardennes — particularly the hilly terrain of Flèche Wallonne and the attritional brutality of Liège — suit her qualities perfectly. She has unfinished business in both races, having never won either.
The crash at Flanders was a cruel blow for a rider who had already battled illness in the days leading up to the race. Longo Borghini arrived in Oudenaarde uncertain of her condition, and the early crash ended any hopes of defending her title before the race had truly begun. The coming days will determine whether the Ardennes can offer redemption — or whether the 2026 spring classics campaign of one of women's cycling's greatest champions has been cut short by an incident entirely beyond her control.