Women's cycling was dominated by SD Volks Pro Time last season, and Elisa Longo Borghini believes she would have been right up there with them in 2023 had Riddle Trek not been hampered by injury and illness that hampered her and much of the team.

"Last year was a very unfortunate time for us. If we hadn't suffered injuries, illnesses, and other bad luck during the season, we would have had the same result as in 2024," Longo Borghini said at the victory press conference.

"But yes, I would say we were very unlucky, and now we have shown our full potential and what we can do ...... I think that's very good."

Lidl Trek got off to a slow start to the 2024 Women's World Tour season, but has won three of the last four races, starting with Elisa Balsamo's wins at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Classic Bourges des Pannees. Longo Borghini and Shirin van Unrooy also led the race in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, and Doire de Hländeren, seemingly laying the groundwork for a perfect performance in the Ronde on Sunday.

In the three aforementioned races, Lidl-Trek was unable to take advantage of her numerical advantage over Marianne Vos (Visma-Ries-a-Bike) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Walks-Protime), who pushed her to the finish. But on the biggest stage of all, Flanders, their timing was perfect.

Juan Anroy launched a big attack with 21km to go as the chase group rejoined Longoborghini and the leaders, and maintained a nearly 15-second gap alone until the chase group was again active at the foot of the Paterberg.

"When she [van Ambrooy] came back, she went down the new Quaremont like a bullet," Longo Borghini said of his Dutch teammate's attack.

"I knew she was really strong on Wednesday (Dwars door Hlaanderen) and Strade.

The two were in the same room while in Belgium this week, with Longo Borghini showing his younger teammate a video of his 2015 victory and talking tactics.

The Italian said in her press conference that "numbers are strength" against Kasia Nievesiadoma (Canyon SRAM) in the final, when after getting past Patelberg, the two bridged to Van Aloy and dropped the remaining SD Works stars Kopecky and Demi Volaring, The two embodied this.

All three committed, but when they survived to the final straight in Oudenaarde, Van Aloy moved ahead and led out for Longo Borghini.

For the team as well as for Longo Borghini personally, Sunday was not "just" a victory. The victory in Flanders meant a return to her absolutely brilliant best form, "physically complete" and "destroyed" as a rider after the struggles of 2023. She faced a nasty skin infection and sepsis called COVID-19.

Therefore, the humble Italian rider dedicated her 42nd professional win to the support staff and trainers she had spent the last few weeks with at the high altitude camp on Mount Teide.

"I would like to dedicate this victory to my trainer, Paolo Slongo, who has been with me for the last few weeks.

"He trusted me and always believed that I could come back and be strong. Sometimes I would call him and tell him I wouldn't be able to come back. 0]

The Italian champion believed that Slongo would be laughing inside at the top of Mount Teide right now, saying, "I told you so." Longo Borghini knew that such victories did not happen often, and he could not have been more grateful.

"There is nothing to take for granted," he said. Neither in cycling nor in life."

Longo Borghini reflected on his victory in 2015, when he won alone at only 23 years old, and admitted that as a more experienced professional, he could appreciate this victory more than he did nine years ago.

"In 2015 I was still a kid. I didn't understand what was happening, and now I'm more aware of what I did, especially wearing the tricolor [national champion], and I think it's great."

Longo Borghini chided himself as the trio in front came to the finale.

"I knew I had to push pretty hard in the last 3km because the gap was really closing and I couldn't play around," said Longo Borghini.

Also, "I knew that I had to push hard.

It was also recently revealed that Longo Borghini was not planning to return to Paris-Roubaix next week, despite being the 2022 winner. However, after Lizzie Deignan crashed and broke her arm in Sunday's race, the Italian champion may be called up in the Pavé.

"Well, that wasn't my program, but I'm the first reserve. Lizzie is sidelined and I'll probably be riding," she said.

"I have to talk to the team to understand what they want from me. Do they want to go to Roubaix or not, do they want to recon or go home? All schedules have to be changed."

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