Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE AQD) has been cleared to race and will return to competition at this Friday's Brabantse Pijl, 12 days after crashing out of her title defence at the Tour of Flanders and then strictly following the UCI's concussion protocol.
Longo Borghini sustained her concussion early on during the Ronde, when a mass crash saw her come down hard and try to remount, before her team then pulled her out of the race after "showing signs of confusion following a heavy blow to the head."
She spent the subsequent 24 hours in Ghent University Hospital before being released and recovering at home in Italy. With no remaining symptoms and after close medical supervision throughout the process by the team, she's ready to return.
"Elisa has responded very well to the recovery plan. We’ve taken every step in line with the UCI guidelines for concussion management," said UAE Team ADQ’s doctor, Nele Beeckmans, in a press release.
"She is symptom-free, physically ready, and mentally motivated to race again."
After missing out on the Tour of Flanders due to her injury, where she was one of the pre-race favourites having won Dwars door Vlaanderen solo four days prior, Longo Borghini is raring to go once again, with the Ardennes Classics coming thick and fast after Brabantse Pijl.
After Friday's race, she is scheduled to ride Sunday's Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne midweek, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège the following Sunday.
"The desire to return already for Friday’s race came from the fact that my health allows me to move smoothly back to training and I feel ready to race," said the Italian champion.
"Together with the team’s medical staff, we followed all the return-to-play protocols and carried out several concussion-related tests, which confirmed that I have no issues. As a result, the Brabantse Pijl will be my comeback race, also to understand how I feel in a real racing situation."
Despite also being the defending champion at the hilly Belgian one-day race, Longo Borghini isn't putting pressure on herself to perform at full capacity just yet, with a keen eye on staying aware of the longer-term complications that can come with concussion.
"It’s clear that I come into this race with no pressure or responsibilities – just the desire to race and test my sensations. And if anything unusual should arise, the team doctors will be there monitoring me and ready to take action if necessary," she said.
"But based on the latest tests and the way I’ve been feeling in training – with no problems at all – I was given the green light to return to competition."
UAE ADQ will start with a strong six-rider team in Lennik, with another former winner, Silva Persico (2023), also joining Longo Borghini on the start line, alongside Sofia Bertizzolo, Eleonora Gasparrini, Brodie Chapman and Maeva Squiban.
