Elisa Longo Borghini in a TOUR interview: "Cycling is a metaphor for life"
Andreas Kublik
· 15.06.2025
Personal details: Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
- Born: 10 December 1991 in Ornavasso (Italy)
- Size: 1.70 metres
- Weight: 59 kilogrammes
- Marital status: Married to Jacopo Mosca (Italy)
- Siblings: Paolo Longo Borghini (born 1980), professional cyclist from 2004-2014
- Place of residence: Andorra
- Professional since: 2011
- Teams: Top Girls Fasso Bortolo Ghezzi (2011); Hitec (2012-2014); Wiggle-Honda/Wiggle-High 5 (2015-2018); Trek-Segafredo/Lidl-Trek (2019-2024); UAE Team ADQ (since 2025)
Important successes
- 2012 World Championship road race bronze medallist
- European Championship bronze medallist U23 EZF
- 2013 Trofeo Binda
- 2014 Italian Champion EZF, Trophée d'Or, Tour de Bretagne
- 2015 Tour of Flanders, La Route de France, Giro dell'Emilia
- 2016 Olympic and European Championship bronze medallist on the road, Italian EZF champion, Giro dell'Emilia
- 2017 Strade Bianche, Italian road and EZF champion, runner-up Giro d'Italia
- 2019 Emakumeen Bira, Vargarda Open (MZF), European Championship third mixed relay team
- 2020 Italian Champion EZF/road, European Championship second road, third Giro d'Italia and a stage win, World Championship third road, second Vuelta
- 2021 Trofeo Binda, GP de Plouay, Olympic bronze medallist road, European champion and World Championship bronze medallist mixed relay, Italian champion road/EZF
- 2022 Paris-Roubaix, Women's Tour, stage win and overall runner-up Vuelta, Tre Valli Varesine, Giro dell'Emilia, World Championship runner-up Mixed Relay, Italian Champion EZF
- 2023 UAE Tour, third Tour de Suisse, stage win Giro d'Italia, Italian Road/EZF Champion
- 2024 Giro d'Italia and a stage win, Trofeo Oro, Tour of Flanders, Arrow of Brabant, Giro dell'Emilia, third in the Road World Championships and Mixed Relay, third in the Vuelta and Tour de Suisse, Italian Road Champion
- 2025 UAE Tour, Cross Flanders (EZF/MZF=individual/team time trial)
Interview with Elisa Longo Borghini
TOUR: Elisa, we're talking to you shortly after your big performance in the new edition of Milan-San Remo for the women. There, you were only caught as the leader around 100 metres before the finish and dropped to eleventh place. What prevails? Disappointment at the result or pride in your performance?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I think it tastes a little sweet. I'm obviously very proud of the timing of my attack. I think it was well done and it was the only card I could play if I wanted to win a race like this. But of course it's also bittersweet that it didn't go all the way to the end. But if you don't try, you'll never know if you could succeed.
TOUR: We ask because that's exactly how the fans know you: always aggressive, with a lot of racing instinct. It was an unfamiliar race for you, the last time it was held was in 2005. Was the attack planned or did it arise from the situation?
Elisa Longo Borghini: It was planned. I had watched some of the Milan-San Remo finals from past men's races. If there were any attacks that were supposed to reach the finish, it was at this point. So I said to myself: it's best to try there.
Powermeter or feeling?
TOUR: How do you approach cycling: more with an eye on the power meter or entirely by feel?
Elisa Longo Borghini: It's a bit of both. I like data. And I like to train very specifically, very precisely. But when it comes to the races, you have to trust your gut feeling. Especially in races like Milan-San Remo - or the classics in general - I don't look at the power meter. I just follow my instinct or the team tactics and try to win the race. In the end, numbers don't matter when you have to win a race.
TOUR: People know your typically aggressive riding style in races. Has it always been like that - or is it the legacy of your time as a young female racer in Belgium, where this type of cycling, the style of a Flandrien or a Flandrienne, is particularly appreciated?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I think it's part of my character when it comes to competitions. That even applies to a card game. But it's true: When I came to Belgium, I was very young, I really got to know cycling there and raced there for a very long time. You learn that you have to ride aggressively - to win races, but also to be recognised by teams and get a contract.
"The newspaper organising this race devotes about three lines to the women"
TOUR: You are a face and a voice of women's cycling. What is your opinion - are the new races in the supporting programme of men's competitions good for women?
Elisa Longo Borghini: There are also races that stand out with their very own organisation, such as the Tour of Britain, the so-called Women's Tour. But the media coverage is certainly greater when a race is linked to that of the men. For me, however, it was a little disappointing that Milan-San Remo was only a little longer than 150 kilometres for us. What is the character of Milan-San Remo? It's long, the longest men's race. It doesn't have to be 300 kilometres long for us, but it should be the longest race with around 200 kilometres. Only then can you really call it a classic. But there is still time and room for improvement. It was certainly a milestone to have the race again. The last previous edition was in 2005 - incidentally won by a German, Trixi Worrack.
TOUR: I have the race day edition of the "Gazzetta dello Sport" here. It contains four pages of preliminary coverage of the men's race and a few lines on the new edition of the women's race. The "Gazzetta dello Sport" is part of the corporate complex that also includes the race organiser RCS. What do you think about that?
Elisa Longo Borghini: Sad. Full stop. We sense you want to say more ... It's really sad. The newspaper that organises this race devotes about three lines to women. But I'm not surprised.
TOUR: Why? According to the world rankings, Italy is number two in women's cycling behind the outstanding Dutch women. Nevertheless, Italy is a wasteland when it comes to women's races at the biggest cycling events: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Lombardy were the big classics that did not yet offer women the opportunity to start ...
Elisa Longo Borghini: I don't really know, to be honest. Until the early 2000s, Italy was certainly at the centre of women's cycling, with many coming from abroad to race in Italy. There were many races. But it went downhill - I don't know if that was due to the economic crisis in 2008 and a lack of sponsorship. I have no real explanation. But of course I would also like to have a Tour of Lombardy for women. The race would suit me better than Milan-San Remo.
Cycling is like Tetris
TOUR: This is the first time you've had almost the same job as your husband at a race in Italy. You've been married to Jacopo Mosca, who competes in the men's race for Team Lidl-Trek, since 2023.
Elisa Longo Borghini: Until last year, we even had the same hotels for the classics. Back then, we shared almost everything because we really had a team at Lidl-Trek - together for women and men. Now we're in separate teams and it's more complicated to see each other.
TOUR: To what extent do you follow Jacopo's races?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I always watch his races. And in San Remo, I waited for him at the team bus. We drove home together afterwards because we only had one car. Basically, we follow each other's races.
TOUR: You got to know each other through Team Trek?
Elisa Longo Borghini: Ultimately, yes. We've actually known each other since childhood. We come from the same area and have been to the same races. But then we lost track of each other a bit until we met up again in 2020.
TOUR: How does a marriage like this work among professional cyclists? It is said that you two had about 60 days together last year.
Elisa Longo Borghini: It's like a big Tetris game. It's very complicated.
TOUR: Tetris - the computer game in which you have to quickly assemble falling building blocks into closed puzzle pieces. Probably a good explanation. There's a funny photo of a special moment together, your wedding: Jacopo in a suit is pedalling very hard on a bike, with you in your wedding dress in a children's trailer. How well do you really share your passion for cycling?
Elisa Longo Borghini: We share everything. From our training to our nutrition. We help each other in our careers. It goes down to the everyday details like helping in the kitchen, cooking, doing the laundry. I'm lucky that he cooks at home, and he's pretty good at it!
Our cycling marriage is like a game of Tetris. Jacopo and I share everything and help each other. And we can learn from each other precisely because of the different roles in our teams.
TOUR: You could say that you have a kind of leadership position as captain of your team UAE ADQ. Your husband, on the other hand, is a kind of simple employee, as a helper at Lidl-Trek. Is that difficult in the relationship?
Elisa Longo Borghini: No, not at all. We also try to leave cycling out of it sometimes - because we see each other so rarely. So we don't talk too much about cycling. But of course we learn from each other through our different roles. In fact, I am hardly ever in his situation - and he will probably never be in mine. For example, I can learn how helpers in the team feel when the captain rewards them well and praises them. Not that I don't know that myself. But of course he shares his thoughts with me when his leader gives him something back, says something nice. Then I'm even more careful in my dealings with my helpers.
TOUR: Who brings home more money?
Elisa Longo Borghini: That's a question I don't like to answer. We share our money - it belongs to all of us.
TOUR: You don't just share financial matters. They also share a dangerous profession.
Elisa Longo Borghini: That's the less fun part of a relationship with a cyclist. When I watch his bike races, I realise that I see them from the perspective of the wife and not the cyclist. I don't want to see any crashes. And the descents scare me. More scared when I watch them than when I ride them myself. But on the other hand, I know that it's his job - that he has to do it for us. But every time I crash, I immediately watch the replay and try to figure out whether it's okay or not.
TOUR: We read about you that you once said that you live with Jacopo in a flat that you call a tuna can - in other words, it's very small.
Elisa Longo Borghini: (laughs) Yes, we still live in the tuna can in Italy.
TOUR: You had an old Fiat 500 as your wedding car, do you like it modest?
Elisa Longo Borghini: Well, when you go to the supermarket, you have to queue like everyone else. Nobody rolls out a red carpet for you there. We like to be normal. At some point, we won't be racing drivers any more. We're not superstars either. We want to remain authentic and ourselves.
TOUR: But perhaps a Ferrari would get you to the supermarket quicker...
Elisa Longo Borghini: That's true, of course. And of course Jacopo likes cars. He's a bloke! And they just like cars. And he likes his BMW. If he could work with cars, he would.
Life without cycling?
TOUR: What would you have become if you hadn't become a professional cyclist?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I studied languages and would have liked to continue doing so in order to become a translator. But I couldn't continue studying languages at university because I would have had to be there every day. So I would probably have become a translator or done something to do with culture or history.
TOUR: How did you decide in favour of cycling?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I asked my parents to give me three years in which to make it in cycling. If it didn't work out, I would go back to university. They agreed. Now we're sitting here doing an interview - that means it worked out quite well.
TOUR: Italy is famous for dolce vita, the pleasure, the sweet side of life. As a fierce cyclist, does this term mean anything to you?
Elisa Longo Borghini: Of course, I'm Italian! But I'm a quiet person. I like to read and relax, visit friends and see how their children are doing. I have four nieces and nephews, my brother's children. I enjoy my life by travelling down. Because during the racing season we're always travelling at full throttle, so there's hardly any time for anything else.
"The bike gives you freedom and takes you to wonderful places"
TOUR: You talked about your brother, Paolo, who is ten years older than you. He won his only professional race when you were 14 years old. How did your brother influence you?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I started cycling because of him. My family actually comes from cross-country skiing. My mum took part in three Olympic Games as an athlete. My father was a cross-country skiing coach. We children both took up cross-country skiing. I still like cross-country skiing and watch the competitions. But our parents simply didn't have the time to take us to the snow all the time. So Paolo took up summer sports, cycling. And I always went along to watch him. I quickly fell in love with cycling and really wanted to do this sport. I just wondered whether this sport was also available for girls. I pushed my parents - and they let me start at the age of nine.
TOUR: What fascinates you so much about cycling?
Elisa Longo Borghini: The bike gives you freedom and takes you to wonderful places - right from your front door. A 60 kilometre radius, if you have the legs for it. It's not about the performance itself. I'm talking about the fascination of riding your bike. You can simply ride up to the highest point of a mountain. You're totally exhausted at the top. But that's where you get the best view. It's like a metaphor for life. You shed sweat, but you get the beautiful descent as a reward.
TOUR: You mentioned earlier that your mum took part in the Olympic Games three times as a cross-country skier. She could have taken part four times - she took one break due to your birth. Can you imagine having children during your sporting career?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I would love to have children. But at the moment it's not possible because of the life we lead. Firstly, we have a practical problem: we're never together (laughs). And we would only have one orphan because we are always travelling. So, it's not planned at the moment.
"Interest in women's cycling has grown exponentially"
TOUR: You've been a professional cyclist for more than a decade now. In 2015, you received a 1,200 euro bonus for winning the Tour of Flanders. What has changed in women's cycling since then?
Elisa Longo Borghini: Well, there is always room for improvement. You only have to look at the difference in prize money for men and women at Milan-San Remo. But a lot has improved. You used to change on a chair in the middle of a course. Now almost every team has a proper bus, and many men's teams also have one for women. There are also more races. Interest has grown exponentially. Ten years ago you could follow the races on Twitter, now there are live streams. It's a revolution - and I hope the trend continues.
TOUR: Which also says something about your personality: for many people, the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic meant a personal crisis. You have emphasised that you saw this time as an opportunity.
Elisa Longo Borghini: For me, it was an opportunity to reset everything and rethink what I wanted in my life and career. And I got out of this chaotic life. I was still able to train well and had my routines at home. I came out of the lockdown strong - because I had a goal. That was my luck. Other people might have had nothing to do, no goals.
Switch to UAE Team ADQ
TOUR: Speaking of goals: You changed teams for the 2025 season - instead of riding for Lidl-Trek, you're now riding for UAE Team ADQ. Why did you decide to make the switch?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I needed a new challenge for the - let's say - last four years of my career. I wanted a new environment, something completely different from what I knew.
TOUR: Why did you choose the UAE?
Elisa Longo Borghini: To me, they seem like an ambitious team that wants to grow and improve. That's something I admire - in general.
TOUR: The men's team is known for having the best cyclist in the world under contract with Tadej Pogačar and for always wanting to win the Tour de France. What are your common goals with the team?
Elisa Longo Borghini: The long-term goal is to become one of the best teams in the world. We won the UAE Tour (in February; editor's note) - that was one of the most important races for the team. For me personally, the Giro d'Italia is a big goal this year. And then it's off to the Tour de France, where I'll be aiming for stage wins in particular.
TOUR: Isn't the Tour more important for the team than the Giro?
Elisa Longo Borghini: I'm sure the team will ask me to ride the Tour as overall leader at some point. It's not that I don't like the Tour. But I'm proudly Italian and I love the Italian races.
TOUR: You've won almost everything. You've talked about the last four years of your career. What do you still want to achieve?
Elisa Longo Borghini: The Olympic Games are certainly a big goal, something I dream of. And every victory in a cycling race is nice, to be honest. The more I win, the better I feel.
The 2028 Olympic Games are a big goal that I dream of. But every victory is nice. The more races I win, the better I feel.
TOUR: You are someone who doesn't hold back with your opinion. You also fight for equal rights in cycling. How does that fit in with your move to Team UAE? The team is financed by a state and its companies in which equality is not yet very far advanced and in which there are also some discussions regarding the observance of human rights.
Elisa Longo Borghini: Well, we tend to put a label on countries. It's a country where they are trying to improve equality. We Europeans often judge too much. There is gender inequality everywhere. In some places this is criticised more, in others less. But if we analyse here and now where all the money for most sponsorships comes from, then we will never sign a contract - if it is to be ethical.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
