“It’s Sanremo,” Elisa Longo Borghini said. “It’s unpredictable.” Too right it was. In the first women’s edition of La Primavera in 20 years, the race went as SD Worx-Protime went, with Lorena Wiebes winning a reduced sprint, but not as Demi Vollering and the other favourites wanted.
For Longo Borghini, it almost went perfectly, and it would have ended in victorious tears – had the finish line come 50 metres earlier. The Italian champion attacked after the descent of the Poggio, and initially there was no reaction. But bit-by-bit, world champion Lotte Kopecky, working for Wiebes, reeled Longo Borghini in, making a heartbreaking catch within sight of the finish line.
“We were so friggin close!” the UAE Team ADQ rider screamed seconds after. Once she caught her breath, her anguish remained. “I should say it’s only a bike race, but it’s an important bike race and it hurts to be caught at 100 metres. I played my cards and stayed calm until the last 2.5km, but this final is so unpredictable. Chapeau to Lorena Wiebes who won, but next time they are not gonna catch me.”
As Longo Borghini tore through the centre of Sanremo and onto the Via Roma, she looked back at the chase group bearing down on her. Did she think she’d reach the finish alone? “You never attack if you don’t believe you can make it, and I did believe I could make it. I believe it until right before the line. When I saw everybody passing I was like: fuck.”
In fourth place was Vollering. The Dutchwoman had hoped to open up the race on the Poggio, but to her surprise she was unable to. Not because of her own condition – she won Strade Bianche a fortnight ago to demonstrate her form – but because of the rest at the front. “The Poggio was so fast. I have the feeling that I only blinked once with my eyes and already we were on the top,” she said. “The Poggio was even faster than I thought it would be and it was just the whole time fighting for position to even stay in the front.
“Juliette [Labous, her FDJ-Suez teammate] wanted to attack but she was blocked. It took a while before she could come out and finally attack, but then it was actually too late because the speed was so high and I couldn’t counterattack. I wanted to attack a little bit earlier, but I was not able to move up because it was so fast. I still tried to go full gas, but it was too late. Not enough. As a team, we tried really hard, and I think it was the only thing we could do, as beforehand we didn’t know how it would go.”
It is said that Milan-Sanremo isn’t difficult enough for the pure climbers, and now Vollering, having raced the Italian Classic, can understand that view. “Of course I'm disappointed as it’s nice if you can take a podium or win here because it’s really special, but I also knew it is probably a really hard race for me to win. Especially now that I have seen this climb [the Poggio] I really understand Pogi and his problem; it’s just so fast.”
Fast and also hectic. Throughout the day, riders continued to hit the ground, with the first crash happening in the neutral zone. One of the last fallers was Movistar’s Cat Ferguson who fell on the Poggio’s descent. She was able to remount and finish 18th, and reflected on her performance and the reintroduction of the race to the women’s calendar. “It was definitely way, way harder than I expected. It’s a hard race, a really hard race, but I’m really happy to be here,” she said.
“It’s my first time and everyone else’s here, which is really an incredible thing to say. I love bike racing and I’m a fan of this sport. I also compete in this sport and I think I will be a fan forever. It’s a really magical sport and I’m happy to be part of the story today.” Happiness for Ferguson, but disappointment for others. None more so than Longo Borghini. “It’s Sanremo,” she repeated again. “It’s unpredictable.”
