"Symptom-Free" Longo Borghini Cleared to Return at Brabantse Pijl After Flanders Concussion
Elisa Longo Borghini has been declared symptom-free and cleared to return to racing at the Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday, just 12 days after suffering a concussion in a crash at the Tour of Flanders. The Italian champion's UAE Team ADQ confirmed the news on Monday after the 33-year-old completed the UCI's concussion protocol testing without issue.
Longo Borghini went down in one of the many crashes that marred the early kilometres of the Tour of Flanders Women on April 6, hitting the deck hard as the peloton made its approach to the first cobbled section. She was taken to the Ghent University Hospital where medical staff confirmed a concussion, though scans showed no signs of bleeding. She was released the same evening but faced a mandatory recovery period under the UCI's updated concussion guidelines.
The speed of her recovery has been remarkable. After a prescribed week of complete rest followed by a gradual return to training, Longo Borghini reported no lingering symptoms and was able to pass every stage of the graduated return-to-competition protocol. Her medical team closely monitored her progress throughout, with daily assessments confirming steady improvement from the earliest days after the crash.
"I feel good, I feel ready," Longo Borghini said via UAE Team ADQ's social channels. "The first few days were difficult — I woke up in the hospital not fully knowing what had happened. But the team's medical staff were incredible, and I've been symptom-free for several days now. I'm looking forward to racing again."
The Brabantse Pijl in Overijse represents the opening salvo of the Ardennes Classics block, and Longo Borghini will be keen to test her legs on the punchy climbs before the bigger targets of Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The Italian won the Brabantse Pijl in 2025 with a solo attack on the Moskesstraat, and will be looking to use the race as both a fitness check and a confidence booster.
Her return is significant for the broader Ardennes picture. Longo Borghini won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2024 and remains one of the most dangerous riders in the Women's WorldTour on hilly terrain. With Demi Vollering also targeting the Ardennes after her dominant Flanders victory, and Lotte Kopecky pivoting from cobbles to climbs after Paris-Roubaix, the Ardennes Classics are shaping up to be a three-way battle between the sport's biggest names.
The crash that ended Longo Borghini's Flanders was part of a brutal day for the women's peloton. Marlen Reusser and Kim Le Court-Pienaar both suffered fractures in separate incidents, while Lorena Wiebes also crashed on the Koppenberg descent but escaped without serious injury. The attrition rate prompted renewed discussion about rider safety on the narrow Flemish roads.