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Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Elisa Longo Borghini powered through the scorching temperatures of the Italian National Championships Time Trial, in Caluso, Piemonte, in north-west Italy, to take her third title in four years. Dressed in the blue colours of the Fiamme Oro - the sports team of the Italian State Police - the 25-year-old from nearby Verbania completed the fast, relatively flat 19km course in a time of 26 minutes, 22 seconds, with an average speed of 43.225kph. 
Longo Borghini’s time was 38 seconds quicker than previous best Elena Cecchini (GS Fiamme Azzurre/Canyon-SRAM), and a minute and two seconds faster than Sylvia Valsecchi (BePink). “It's always a pleasure to be able to wear the tricolore, I'm happy to be able to carry it over for another year, it's a real honour,” Longo Borghini said. “It was very hot today. It was about 37 degrees. The course was fast, very fast, so it didn’t really suit me, but I had good general form. I was happy that I had the best intermediate time, after 10km, and was even happier to have even more time at the end and win by 38 seconds!” Her third Time Trial Championship, won in such dominant style, once again makes Longo Borghini one of the big favourites for Sunday’s road race. As one of the most unpredictable races of the season, however - where she has finished second to Cecchini in the previous two editions - the Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling rider is keen to avoid putting undue pressure on herself. 
“On Sunday I will do my best, and I will try to win the race. Hopefully I’m not second any more!” she laughed. “I will try to do a hard race to win it, but of course you never know,” Longo Borghini added. “The Championships are always a question mark, and they are always so hard to understand and to ride, but I will see.” Result |
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