Elisa Longo Borghini will not take the start of stage 3 at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, with UAE Team ADQ confirming the Italian is suffering from a gastrointestinal infection. After struggling through the opening two stages, the team announced on the morning of stage 3 that her condition had worsened and that the decision to abandon had been made in agreement with the rider.
“After fighting through the first 2 stages, her condition worsened and, together with the team, she made the tough decision to withdraw,” UAE Team ADQ wrote in a short statement.
The withdrawal ends a quiet Tour for Longo Borghini, who had already signalled that she wasn’t targeting the general classification. Her win at the Giro d’Italia Women earlier this month was her main goal for the summer, and coming into the Tour, she had indicated she would be racing more in support of her teammates or potentially chasing a stage win if the opportunity arose.
Those plans faded quickly as the illness took hold. She finished 39th on stage 1 into Kerlouan, losing 52 seconds, and was 50th on stage 2 to Quimper, over a minute and a half down. In both cases, she was off the pace in the final climbs and unable to play a role in the fight for stage results.
Photo Credit: GettyWith her condition clearly not improving, and the profile of the Tour becoming hillier in the next stages, Longo Borghini and the team made the call to stop early before further depleting her recovery.
Her next goals in the 2025 season have not been confirmed, but with the World Championships in Rwanda approaching in September, that could now become the next major target on the calendar.
Main photo credit: A.S.O./Jennifer Lindini
