Multi-time Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini will not be able to compete at the UCI Road World Championships next week, due to treatment for a skin infection on her left leg which caused her to withdraw from the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift prior to stage 7.
It would have been Longo Borghini’s 12th appearance at the world championships for road cycling, where she has a pair of road race bronze medals from 2012 and 2020.
The confirmation of the reigning Italian champion, in both the road race and the time trial, was made by her Lidl-Trek trade team. She had hoped to wear the Italian colours in Glasgow for the elite women’s events, which begin Aug 10 with the 35.2km individual time trial and then conclude August 13 for the 154.1km road race.
“Elisa is suffering from a deep skin infection in the upper left thigh area. It’s a serious infectious process that cannot be underestimated in any way. These symptoms are causing pain and fever that are still keeping her at home in bed, therefore an intense antibiotic treatment has become necessary and will last for at least a week from today,” said Lidl-Trek’s head doctor Gaetano Daniele on the team website.
Longo Borghini was on top form this season, having defended her national time trial championship and taken the road race title back for a fourth time. She was making a comeback from a crash at the Giro d’Italia Donne last week when the skin infection put her in hospital for treatment and she had to withdraw from the Tour de France Femmes, sitting fourth on GC.
“I can hardly find the words to explain my current state of mind. Mentally, it’s a heavy blow, which unfortunately comes in an already troubled season. The fact that I had to come home from the Tour was a huge disappointment, because I felt I had a great finale in my legs. It was painful, I won’t deny that,” said Longo Borghini in a team statement.
“Although the blows, physical and psychological, always hurt, I never got down and I only want to look ahead. Stopping at this point of the season was the last thing I wanted, but the priority must be my health. I am focused on healing and recovering at my best. Giving up the Worlds is painful, but also the only choice I had. I will be rooting hard for my teammates.”
Longo Borghini was the team’s top GC rider going into the final weekend of the Tour de France Femmes, and she was part of a trio of riders sitting 55 seconds behind race leader Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in fourth…
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