Elisa Longo-Borghini (Lidl-Trek): “I got a bad client in Grace Brown – chapeau to her!”

April 21 ^st 2024 - 19:09

It was a very long sprint. Kasia [Niewiadoma] had a gap and I could close it. I launched my sprint with 200 meters to go, and in the last 75m Grace overtook me. I have to say I’m satisfied, as I came here aiming for a good result and I had good legs. My team and I did our best today and, even if it is a bit disappointing to be second, it is what it is. Congratulations to Grace [Brown], as she was the fastest today.

To be fair, I always believed we would catch the breakaway because I was supported by a very strong team. My Lidl-Trek teammates rode really hard onto the Roche-aux-Faucons, and I just had to finish off the work they did. I was sure we would catch the women at the front, but there was a chance that some of them would stick with us as the terrain to the finish in Liège was quite rolling. Unfortunately, I got a bad client in Grace… but again, chapeau to her.

Maybe I was the strongest today, but in cycling the strongest does not always win. Victory can go to the fastest, or the smartest, or the best at taking corners… This is what makes cycling fantastic, in my opinion. I don’t think I did too much – I just did what I had to do.