Elisa Longo Borghini will spend this week off the bike and on the sofa after suffering a concussion in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders Women. The Italian had wanted to continue racing despite a heavy impact to the head, but was pulled from the race and taken to hospital by her team, UAE Team ADQ.
The crash occurred early in the race, before the final battle had even begun. Longo Borghini remounted and attempted to continue, but was visibly disoriented. It was a gut decision from UAE’s sports directors to remove her from the race within a few hundred metres.
“Elisa has an incredible drive. She really wanted to keep going,” said team communications manager Yana Seel. “But now what she needs most is rest.”
Longo Borghini was taken to the hospital in Oudenaarde and later transferred to the University Hospital in Ghent, where she spent the night under observation. Thankfully, scans showed no internal bleeding, but the concussion diagnosis was confirmed.
“I stayed with her all night in Ghent,” Seel added. “There were no complications, but she now has to rest for a full week. After that, we’ll assess whether she can be fit for Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”
The timeline leaves a question mark over her participation in the rest of the spring campaign. With Paris-Roubaix, the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège all on the calendar before the end of the month, any recovery delay could see her sidelined for the remainder of the Ardennes.
Longo Borghini had come into Flanders off the back of a strong win at Dwars door Vlaanderen and was viewed as one of the day’s top favourites. Her withdrawal came after a crash that also involved Puck Pieterse and Lorena Wiebes, who were both able to continue.
“She was convinced she had the legs to be on the podium,” said Seel. “Even today in hospital, she was still saying that Liège is definitely possible. She’s just incredibly driven.”
UAE Team ADQ confirmed they are following the concussion protocol and prioritising Longo Borghini’s health. Further tests are expected in the coming days to determine if she can return in time for Liège on 27th April.
Main photo credit: Getty
