Longo Borghini Wins Tour de Suisse Women Stage 2 And Seizes The Overall Lead In Locarno
Elisa Longo Borghini delivered a masterclass in timing on stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women, attacking alone on the final climb into Locarno to take the stage and pull on the leader's jersey. The Italian champion's move proved decisive on a punchy 105.6-kilometre day that rewarded aggression and punished the slightest hesitation.
Racing for UAE Team ADQ, Longo Borghini chose her moment on the day's closing ascent, kicking clear of the favourites and never looking back. Behind her, Sarah Van Dam dug deep to salvage second place, but the gap to the new race leader told the story of a rider in commanding form ahead of the back half of the Swiss week.
The stage had begun with Margot Vanpachtenbeke and Carlotte Cipressi forging clear to build an advantage of more than two minutes, but the early break was reeled in before the first categorised climb as the bunch sensed the decisive terrain approaching. From there the race fractured under the relentless tempo of the GC teams.
The day was not without its drama for the pre-race favourites. Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma, chasing hard in pursuit of the leaders, missed a crucial turn and lost valuable time — a costly navigational error that could shape the overall classification in the days to come. For Reusser in particular, racing on home roads, it was a frustrating way to concede ground.
The result is a significant statement from Longo Borghini, who overturned the advantage held by stage 1 winner Femke de Vries and moved into the overall lead with the race's hardest days still ahead. Her blend of climbing power and tactical nous has made her one of the most complete stage racers in the women's peloton.
With the queen stage and a decisive time trial still to come, Longo Borghini will need to defend her advantage against a deep field that includes Reusser, Niewiadoma and a resurgent Visma-Lease a Bike squad. But on the evidence of Locarno, the Italian has arrived in Switzerland with sharp legs and even sharper instincts.