The contract for the Italian Championship is due to end at the end of 2024, she will not be renewed and switching to a new team is only one of the significant number of major transfers in women's cycling 1.
Team manager Luca Guercilena confirmed the news to an Italian newspaper while admitting that Lidl-Trek had tried to keep her on the roster.
"Elisa Longo Borghini has decided to leave the team at the end of the season, despite our desire to extend our contract with Lidl-Trek. This is part of the game," Guercilena said.
"Thanks to the support the team and her teammates gave her, we achieved great results together. Working on scouting young cyclists, supporting great champions and developing a culture of fairness in sport, Lidl-Trek has launched a campaign for women's cycling
"I hope Longo Borgini will do his best for the coming season."
As one of the world's top all-round riders, Longo Borgini's talent on both the classic and grand tour has earned her the most coveted Rai La Gazzetta dello Sport and GCN from the 2025 contract, both reported that the team the rider plans to head to is UAE Team ADQ.
Far from the only star to change the team in 2024, others include defending the Tour de France female winner Demi Worx-Protime (SD Worx・Protime), who is heavily linked to fdj・Suez after not extending with the Dutch super team.
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Cecilie Utrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez), among other well-known riders, have confirmed that their contracts have expired and that the team has not yet been confirmed in 2025.
Longo Borgini left Lidl・Trek after an incredible comeback season from injury and illness in 2024, with a win on the Flanders tour and a win at omloop Het Nieuwsblad, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Strade Bianche.
Lidl-Borgini was the first player to win the tour. The 32-year-old's time at Trek saw her take 23 wins in some of the biggest races over a very successful period.
Young Italian talent Gaia Realini will probably take over the team's GC ambitions on the grand Tour after the departure of her compatriots, but Shirin van Anrooij has stressed that their cobblestone classics campaign they have signed until 2027 and 2026 respectively and that the team is focused on young stars. It's a good idea.
Longo Borgini's schedule for the next few weeks should see her compete in the Tour de Switzerland, the revamped Giro d'Italia women and the Tour de France women.
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