Elisa Longo Borghini will not start the 2026 edition of Milano-Sanremo Women on March 21st after falling ill overnight, with UAE Team ADQ confirming the Italian champion is suffering from a viral upper respiratory tract infection.
Longo Borghini is replaced in the line-up by Alena Amialiusik, who completes a UAE Team ADQ squad that will also include Mavi Garcia, Dominika Wlodarczyk, Eleonora Gasparrini, Silvia Persico and Brodie Chapman.
A blow for UAE Team ADQ and for the race narrative
Longo Borghini’s absence removes one of the most credible “make it hard” options from a race that, by design, sits on a knife-edge between an aggressive finale and a sprint finish.
That mattered this year because Longo Borghini had been openly leaning into the idea of forcing the issue rather than waiting for a fast finish. Her approach made tactical sense: in a race where teams often hesitate to fully commit to a chase behind late attacks, a rider with her punch, timing and confidence can turn uncertainty into daylight.
Without her, UAE Team ADQ lose the rider most likely to light the touchpaper on the decisive climbs, and the broader attacking coalition in the peloton loses a key ally.
Why this stings: form, momentum, and unfinished business
This is not a quiet withdrawal from a rider searching for condition. Longo Borghini has been one of the reference points of the early 2026 season:
- she won the general classification at the UAE Tour Women, including the Jebel Hafeet stage
- she added another win at Trofeo Oro in Euro roughly two weeks ago
She also finished 11th in last year’s race, a result that undersold her potential impact in a still-developing event. This time, she arrived with sharper form and a clearer idea of how she wanted the race to unfold.
What UAE Team ADQ can still do
Even without Longo Borghini, the remaining six still give UAE Team ADQ options.
Mavi Garcia and Silvia Persico can cope when the pace rises and the race turns selective, while Eleonora Gasparrini offers a finishing speed element if the day tilts back towards a reduced-group sprint. Brodie Chapman and Dominika Wlodarczyk bring depth for positioning and late-race shaping, and Amialiusik adds experience and stability at short notice.
But the balance shifts. With Longo Borghini out, UAE Team ADQ look less like a squad built to break the sprinters, and more like one that will need to pick moments rather than dictate the entire script.
A wider impact on how the race may be ridden
On paper, the removal of a prime attacker makes it easier for sprint-minded teams to manage the race. In practice, it can also create a strange vacuum: fewer riders willing to force a selection can lead to more riders arriving fresher at the finale, and a higher-stakes fight for position when the attacks finally do come.
Either way, the race loses a rider who was prepared to take responsibility for turning intent into action.
