PIASCO — Elisa Longo Borghini wrapped up her season by reclaiming the Italian individual time trial title in Piasco, securing her eighth national crown with a commanding ride on the flat, fast 19.7km course. The 34-year-old UAE Team ADQ rider stopped the clock in 23:15 at an average of 50.839 km/h to retake the tricolore jersey after finishing runner-up to Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ United-Suez) in each of the past two years.
Longo Borghini, who previously won the title in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, finished clear of Alessia Vigilia (Uno-X Mobility) in second and Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal) in third on the out-and-back route with 102 metres of climbing towards Costigliole Saluzzo before two laps of a 6.7km circuit. "I’m very happy to have won another Italian National Championship because I believe it’s a race that should always be honoured, even though this year it came at the end of a very long season," Longo Borghini said in a team release. "It was a title I really wanted, because wearing the Italian champion’s jersey is always an honour. I’ll be happy to wear it next year in some of the biggest races on the WorldTour calendar."
The championships were postponed from their original June date and relocated to Piasco in the province of Cuneo, with the new date and location announced on 8 October by the Italian Cycling Federation. The junior, under-23 and elite women’s time trials were all moved to late October, while the elite men’s event went ahead as scheduled in June in Barolo where Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos) won. Guazzini did not defend her title and just five riders lined up for the elite women’s race, down sharply from the 21 who contested last year’s event in June.
The under-23 title went to Giada Silo (UAE Development Team), who also claimed the Italian road race title in the under-23 category back in June. In the elite women’s results, Vittoria Bussi (Team Essere) finished fourth, 2:01 behind Longo Borghini, with Carmen Moser (Horizons Cycling Club – Team 1971) fifth at 3:10.
The victory capped a strong season for Longo Borghini, who finished fourth in the individual time trial at both the World Championships and European Championships and helped Italy win gold in the mixed relay at the Worlds. She also soloed to her seventh Italian road race title in June before finishing third at the Tour de France Femmes and taking bronze in the road race at the World Championships.