Following her third place at the Tour de France Femmes, Elisa Longo Borghini has said that she'll be back to win it all next year, claiming, "I don't think the gap is that wide" to the two riders who finished ahead of her, Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.
The Italian improved as the Tour went on, going from seventh place in Poligny to fourth before the final weekend, and then third overall after Marlen Reusser was dropped and crashed on the final stage in Nice.
She ended her race 4:19 down on Vollering, 3:01 off Niewiadoma-Phinney, the majority of the time shed in the hills of the Jura on stage 5 and up Mont Ventoux two days later.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Longo Borghini said she believes she can close those gaps, especially given the disrupted year she had leading up to August.
"I'll be back at the Tour to win it next year. Considering the problems and the setback I've had, I don't think the gap is that wide," she said.
"It has been a bit of a strange year for me so far. In spring, I lost a month to bronchitis. I spent a great deal of time playing catch-up, like at the Giro d'Italia Women, which went well with fourth place and a stage win, but not brilliantly.
"Even at this Tour, I was chasing the leaders a lot, but at a certain point, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together better."
Speaking in her post-Tour press conference, Longo Borghini said she "never stopped believing" in making the Tour podium, adding that it was the "cherry on the cake" of her race. She told Gazzetta that she took immense pride in her achievement.
"The feeling on the final day was incredible, a real adrenaline rush," she said.
"[I'm proud of] the fact that I started in fourth place, but I wanted – and had to – go all out. I was only interested in the podium, nothing else. All-in."
The result came after sleepless nights at the Tour, where Longo Borghini's doubts saw her consider abandoning the race, she said.
"I'd wake up and think about the details, what hadn't gone right, the fact that things could end up even worse the next day, even about withdrawing from the Tour and from cycling altogether.
"But obviously, you can take that as hyperbole. I think everyone has strange thoughts at night from time to time. It was nice, then, to see how I reacted."
Following her Tour success – her best result to date in four starts – one big goal for 2026 lies ahead for Longo Borghini. She's set to lead the Italian selection at the Road World Championships.
The road race in Montréal is set to be the 15th of her career, among which she has scored three bronze medals. Vollering, the favourite to take the rainbow stripes on a hilly course, is once again in her sights.
"Now it's all about the Road World Championships, where Demi will always be the woman to beat. On September 26 in Montréal, I want to be ready."
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