Longo Borghini shares thoughts behind her move to UAE Team ADQ: "I want to face the unknown"

It is the year of significant transfers in women's cycling. Two of the three best riders of recent years are changing paths: Demi Vollering to FDJ-Suez and Elisa Longo Borghini, who, after six years with Lidl-Trek, will now ride for three years with UAE Team ADQ. Longo Borghini's departure was a surprise, but it was pretty logical for the Italian.

In recent years, 32-year-old Longo Borghini has won big races such as the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and the Giro Donne. She says she could not have done this without her team. Nevertheless, she decided to leave. Why, "I became the rider I am today because of them. But on the other side of things, I needed a change, like a new challenge or adventure. Also, I wanted to face the unknown a bit, because now I'm 32, and I would like to experience that in what could be the last three, four years of my life as a racer: maybe, who knows?" she told Cyclingnews.

Text continues below photo

Longo Borghini seeks the unknown

So, the pull of the unknown proved too strong. "I'm an ambitious person, I like challenges, I like to go where I wouldn't say - I wouldn't say nobody would go because it's not true - I would rather say I like to go where there is stuff to discover. And I saw in that team [UAE] there would be a good way to discover a new environment, a new kind of world in general. So I just wanted to do that."

No sooner said than done: UAE adds an absolute leading lady to its women's team. Others are also coming along in Longo Borghini's wake as befits a star rider. For example, trainer Paolo Slongo and teammates Brodie Chapman and Elynor Bäckstedt are making the same move. That way, the unknown is a little less unknown after all.

Whatever the future holds, Longo Borghini showed she is far from worn out this year. Winning the Giro was a milestone and a longtime dream. "If I was looking for a highlight in 2024, I would start with the Giro, it's been a goal I've chasing for so long and it was also a thrilling finale. We focused on the Giro from the beginning of the year and knew the route was good for me." It proved so, as she rode in pink from start to finish and took the overall victory in a super exciting seconds race.

Text continues below photo

Tour de France, World Championship, and Liege are the goals in 2025

For 2025, the focus is on the Tour de France Femmes, where she has been unable to win primarily because of crashes and injuries. She has not had much luck in life yet in the Tour de France for me. "I would have loved to finish it [in 2023], and I would have loved to have raced it this year. To be honest, when I was watching the stages afterwards I felt pretty silly because when you crash on a training day, you really feel silly," said the Italian. 

Also circled in red on her calendar in 2025 are Liege-Bastogne-Liège and the World Championships in Rwanda. For Longo Borghini, the World Championship in Rwanda means even more. "You see that the sport is becoming more and more international, and I'm very excited every time I see more people from Africa in the peloton. I think that's how sport should be, sport should be democratic and open to everybody. So it's nice that the World Championships are there, maybe we can inspire some people and maybe we can bring something [of our sport] to a different place, too."

Read also

Roglic considers Red Bull strong enough for clash with Pogacar, with or without Evenepoel: "But where there is smoke, there is fire"

Pogacar has clear message regarding the Tour de France: "That's just adding fuel to the fire"

Jorgenson will continue to be Vingegaard's super-domestique as long as the "supermen" are at the start: "not interested in leadership role"