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Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Elisa Longo Borghini will lead the black and orange team in Saturday’s third edition of the Strade Bianche, which will be the first race in the 2017 UCI Women’s World Tour. Having finished third in the 2015 edition, then fourth last year as she raced in defence of teammate Emma Johansson - who finished third as part of the race-winning break - Longo Borghini will be among the top favourites for the race across the famous, iconic White Roads of Tuscany. 
“I’m looking forward to the Strade Bianche,” Longo Borghini said. “I feel fine, and I just want to enjoy the race because it’s in Italy. It’s in one of the nicest regions of Italy; in Tuscany. I didn’t really plan to be in shape for this race, because I’m more looking for the middle of April, but since I feel fine I just want to race and enjoy it.” Longo Borghini was the outstanding rider of the opening races of the Belgium season last weekend. She was part of the race winning break in Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, that escaped on the steep, cobbled climb of the Paterberg; while her late attack in Sunday’s Omloop van het Hageland - having been up the road for most of the race - allowed teammate Jolien D’hoore to sit in and take the sprint victory. Having travelled south to Tuscany immediately after the Belgian races, the Italian Time Trial Champion has been training on the Strade Bianche course with her teammates for Saturday’s race. “The team is looking strong,” she said. “Today we did around three hours on the last part of the race, and every girl looked very well. “So let’s see what happens on Saturday!" 
With Longo Borghini in the Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling team on Saturday will be new German signing Claudia Lichtenberg, whose own prowess on the hilly Tuscan roads saw her finish eighth last year, along with the climbing support of former Japanese Champion Mayuko Hagiwara and French Time Trial Champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot. Welsh talent Amy Roberts will bring her considerable power to the team, while two-time former road World Champion Giorgia Bronzini will get her own season under way in the first classic race of the Italian season. The race will start and finish in the Tuscan city of Siena, with the finish line on the iconic Piazza del Campo, with the 127km course including 30.5km of Tuscany’s White Roads. 
Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling team for the Strade Bianche |
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