Longo Borghini goes down fighting at the World Championships: 'I'd rather lose like a champion than beat her like a loser'

Longo Borghini was able to stay with Demi Vollering’s attack the longest—38 kilometers from the finish—but ultimately had to let go. Together with a group of pursuers, she managed to rejoin the lead group just before the final lap, after which she immediately launched an attack. For a moment, it looked promising, but she was eventually caught and dropped. In the final meters, she came agonizingly close, but bronze was the best she could achieve.

And that brings mixed feelings. “I’m proud of myself and my team,” Longo Borghini tells Cycling Pro Net. “The girls put me in the best position—I’m proud of that. I was riding to win the rainbow jersey; that was all I had on my mind. In the end, I won bronze. But I’d rather lose as a champion than beat her like a loser.”

And she certainly lost like a champion. The breakaway, about seventeen kilometers from the finish, was well-timed. She gave it her all in that attack. “When you attack, you have to believe in it,” explains the 34-year-old Italian. “Otherwise, it’s better to stay on someone’s wheel. Of course I attack to win—it’s on my mind from the start of the race. When I went, I went to grab the rainbow jersey.”

In the end, Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma were just a little stronger. She has wonderful words for her competitors. “I’m always proud to stand on the podium with them; they inspire me to be better. They push me to my limit—I always want to be better and beat them. When I train, I always think: this is the last bit I need to beat Demi, or to outpace Kasia. It’s great to race against them—they give me energy.”

Losing the title race isn’t the end of the world for Longo Borghini. In fact, it isn’t even the end of the season. She’ll be on the starting line next week at the European Cycling Championships in Slovenia. There, she’ll be going all out for the win. “Of course. We’re going for it again; we’re going to try to become European champions. Otherwise, there’s no point in wearing that jersey, right?” she says with a wink, referring to Vollering.