Last year she wore the Maglia Rosa from start to finish, fending off attacks from world champion Lotte Kopecky and securing a historic victory. This year, Elisa Longo Borghini took on the role of the hunter, but the outcome was the same: she won the Giro d’Italia Women 2025.
In the end, that clever move on the Monte Nerone stage – that downhill attack alongside teammate Silvia Persico before the final climb began – turned out to be the decisive moment of this year’s edition. The Italian champion knows how to attack and how to defend. Today, in the final stage in Imola, featuring three laps of the 2020 World Championship circuit, she didn’t even have to fend off many attacks, as her rivals seemed content with what they had already achieved. “A victory that repays months and months of work with the team. It’s hard to find the words to describe this emotion,” said Elisa.
All the credit goes to Marlen Reusser, who fought hard – even against her own body – but ultimately had to give up the Maglia Rosa on the penultimate day. Since yesterday afternoon, she hasn’t been able to hold back tears of disappointment: “I haven’t felt well the past three days, and that devastates me because I worked so hard to be here. I know I shouldn’t be sad about finishing second at the Giro, but right now I just can’t help it. That said, I don’t want to take anything away from Elisa, who was extraordinary”. Joining them on the podium in third place was the queen of the climbers and winner at Pianezze and Monte Nerone, Sarah Gigante.
Helping soothe Reusser’s heartbreak was her Movistar teammate Liane Lippert, who claimed her second stage win of the Giro in Imola by outsprinting Anna Van der Breggen – the same rider who won the world title on this very finish line in 2020. “Marlene told me to go for it, and I did. I hope I gave her a reason to smile after the disappointment”.
With this, Longo Borghini secures her second Giro d’Italia Women title and becomes only the second Italian ever – after the legendary Fabiana Luperini – to win the Corsa Rosa more than once. She already was, but Elisa now cements her status as one of the legends of Italian cycling.
