Elisa Longo Borghini will make her return to competition at Brabantse Pijl on Friday according to news from her team, following a controlled recovery from the concussion she sustained at the Ronde van Vlaanderen earlier this month.
The Italian, racing for UAE Team ADQ, was forced to abandon Flanders after a crash and has spent the past ten days resting and gradually rebuilding under close medical supervision. The team has confirmed that she has now completed all stages of the UCI’s Concussion Protocol without issue and will be on the start line in Overijse this week.
Team doctor Nele Beeckmans said the return-to-play process had gone smoothly and had been closely aligned with UCI guidelines.
“Elisa has responded very well to the recovery plan,” said Beeckmans. “We’ve taken every step in line with the UCI guidelines for concussion management. She is symptom-free, physically ready, and mentally motivated to race again.”
Longo Borghini said she had been encouraged by the results of her medical tests and the way her body responded once she resumed training. With no lingering symptoms and no red flags during testing, the team gave her the green light to race again.
“The desire to return already for Friday’s race came from the fact that my health allows me to move smoothly back to training and I feel ready to race,” she explained.
“Together with the team’s medical staff, we followed all the return-to-play protocols and carried out several concussion-related tests, which confirmed that I have no issues. As a result, the Brabantse Pijl will be my comeback race, also to understand how I feel in a real racing situation.”
While she is not setting any performance goals for her return, Longo Borghini made it clear that she was keen to be back in the peloton and racing again.
“It’s clear that I come into this race with no pressure or responsibilities – just the desire to race and test my sensations. And if anything unusual should arise, the team doctors will be there monitoring me and ready to take action if necessary. But based on the latest tests and the way I’ve been feeling in training – with no problems at all – I was given the green light to return to competition.”
Brabantse Pijl will be her first race since Flanders, with the hilly one-day race offering a chance to gauge her sensations in real conditions before looking ahead to the rest of the spring and summer campaign.
