GP de Plouay 2021 - Elisa Longo Borghini secures back-to-back Trek-Segafredo triumphs with solo victory

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Updated 31/08/2021 at 06:26 GMT

Longo Borghini followed teammate Lizzie Deignan, winner in 2020, as she secured her first victory at the race in Brittany. In the last women's World Tour race before the World Championships, Longo Borghini timed a powerful effort perfectly on the final circuit of a 150.5km course to take the win ahead of Gladys Verhulst of Team Arkea.

Elisa Longo Borghini claimed her first GP de Plouay victory with an outstanding late solo attack in Brittany.

The Italian looked in supreme form, attacking regularly throughout the race and eventually breaking free from a small group with about 10km to go.

Longo Borghini accelerated away from the field to finish well clear of the rest of a strung-out peloton and follow teammate Lizzie Deignan on to the top step of the podium at the GP de Plouay.

Giro d'Italia Women

Watch the moment that both Van Vleuten and Longo Borghini crashed at Giro Donne

00:03:02

|

04/07/2023 at 14:37

• Cosnefroy outsprints Alaphilippe to secure maiden World Tour win at Bretagne Classic
• Hayter and Kwiatkowski to lead strong Ineos Grenadiers team at Tour of Britain

The last race on the women's World Tour calendar before the World Championships was held away from the men's Bretagne Classic, which was decided 24 hours earlier.

Contested over a 13.7km circuit, competing riders at the GP de Plouay crossed the line 11 times on a hilly, 150.5 km course.

With a portion of the women's peloton still in the Netherlands after the conclusion of the Simac Ladies Tour, it was a field slightly reduced in quality.

However three-time champion Deignan and former winner Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx) shaped as potential leading contenders.

The pair could not match the efforts of Longo Borghini, though, who showed something resembling her best form in her first race since securing road race bronze at Tokyo 2020.

'That was some performance' - Wiggins reacts to Kiesenhofer winning road race

Clad in her Italian national champion's jersey, the Trek-Segafredo rider had earlier distanced the field briefly before being caught by a small group, including Mavi Garcia of Ale-BTC Ljubljana.

They reeled in valiant lone attack Alena Amialiusik of Canyon-SRAM 20km from the line.

A group of 12 splintered just after the beginning of the final lap in Brittany, with a quartet formed after Garcia's teammate Tatiana Guderzo launched her move.

But it was Longo Borghini who made the telling acceleration to finish well clear of a reduced sprinting group behind her, celebrating with a shimmy and a punch of the air.

“The team rode really well and I’m really happy and satisfied about today,” said Longo Borghini.

"It’s always a nice race to win, Plouay is such a great area for cycling plus we have the Bretagne champion Audrey Cordon - today she was really strong but really unlucky.”

Gladys Vershult (Team Arkea) edged out Kristen Faulkner of Team TIBCO-SVB for second place.

Longo Borghini's win came on the day that Trek-Segafredo confirmed the addition of her compatriot Elisa Balsamo for next season.

The talented sprinter steps up to a World Tour team and adds considerable fast-finishing ability to a team that will also contain Movistar's Leah Thomas.

Giro d'Italia Women

'Italian hearts will sing with that win!' – Longo Borghini wins Stage 4

00:03:04

|

03/07/2023 at 14:30

Paris - Roubaix

‘Ooooohhh!’ - Borghini shows supreme bike-handling skills to avoid crash

00:00:08

|

16/04/2022 at 16:14

Paris - Roubaix

Longo Borghini wins ‘epic’ Paris-Roubaix Femmes with perfectly-timed move

00:03:12

|

16/04/2022 at 15:53