Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) is unlikely to close the 5:19 gap to Maria Rosa and Annemiek van Fruten (Movistar) in the closing stages of the Giro de Donne, but she is not concerned about it.

The Italian is pleased with her performance so far, especially after the summit of the Passo del Maniva on stage 7, and said she is showing promising increasing form for the Tour de France Femme, which begins July 24 in Paris.

"Our plan today was to get in the best possible position for the climb. The girls took good care of me and I thank them," said Longo Borghini.

"On the climbs I kept my pace as if I was alone. I know I am strong on the climbs, but after last year I lost a little bit of confidence. I'm here to do the stages and prepare for the Tour, so I wanted to see if this strategy would work.

Longo Borghini was one of the GC favorites going into his home Grand Tour. However, the battle for the Magilla Rosa unfolded faster than expected when Van Vleuten, Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ), and Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) attacked on stage 4 and built a 4:51 lead on the rest of the field.

Longo Borghini joined the chase group and finished the day in sixth place, but five minutes behind in the overall standings.

The 10-day race included three decisive mountain days, the first of which was stage 7, Prevalle to Passo Maniva, where Juliette Labusse (Team DSM) won ahead of a chase group of GC favorites including Van Vleuten, Garcia, Cavalli and Longo Borghini. won the race ahead of a group that included Van Vleuten, Garcia, Cavalli, and Longo Borghini.

"Ina [Teutenberg] and Paolo [Slongo] gave me perfect instructions, so I listened to my body and didn't react immediately to the goats' attacks," Longo Borghini said of the uphill run.

"I am a heavier rider, so I need to keep my pace.

The days of GC decisions continue from Rovereto on stage 8 to Aldeno, San Michele Alladige on stage 9, and Padua on stage 10, the final sprint stage.

The race is not won until the final stage, so anything can happen in the final three days of the Giro d'Italia Donne.

However, Longo Borghini enters the final stages in fourth place overall.