The pink jersey winner won’t be adding a maillot jaune to her collection this year.
In a blow for her team Lidl-Trek, Elisa Longo Borghini revealed Saturday she will not start the Tour de France Femmes after a recent crash in training.
“No fractures, but I left lot of skin on the road and I really can’t ride my bike,” she wrote in a post on her personal Instagram feed. “I feel extremely gutted not to be alongside my teammates.”
Longo Borghini won the Giro d’Italia last month, leading the race from start to finish and holding off rival Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) in a close fight. She recently finished ninth in the Olympic road race
It leaves Lidl-Trek without one of their strongest and most versatile riders, with Italian climber Gaia Realini likely to become the outright leader in the seven-strong line-up in the 32-year-old’s absence.
Longo Borghini finished sixth at the Tour de France Femmes in 2022 and abandoned last year’s race before the final stage due to a skin infection while positioned fourth overall.
She isn’t the only star who is missing the prestigious women’s cycling race.
Lotte Kopecky won’t be here, an absence signaled back in April, in order to focus fully on the Olympic Games. The road race bronze medalist is competing in the omnium, which finishes Sunday afternoon in what would be a very difficult juggle.
