At the end of stage 4 of the 2022 Giro d'Italia Donne, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) was more than 4 minutes behind third place and the overall podium seemed out of reach. Longo Borghini regained her time on stage 8, closing the gap to Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) to 3:21.

Garcia had lost 1:27 to the Italian the day before, and stage 9 included three hard climbs and three crucial descents. While she and her team came to the Giro Donne to prepare for a stage win and the Tour de France femme, Longo Borghini saw a bigger vision in the race than just the result.

"I think our duty as riders and athletes is also to put on a show. The world is going through difficult times due to the effects of the pandemic. The goal of our work should also be to provide excitement, fun, and genuine inspiration. That is why people follow us. We never forget that when we race," she said.

Longo Borghini, an all-rounder who won the Paris-Roubaix Femme in April, said her strategy is to ride up the climbs at her own tempo.

She followed the same plan on the decisive climb of stage 9, the steep Passo d'Aone, as she tried to catch Maria Rosa Annemiek van Fruten (Movistar Team) and second place Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope). Garcia was caught and then dropped back. In the last kilometer of the Passo Daone, Longo Borghini left Garcia behind and threw himself downhill.

"Today's descent was new for me. I went with my gut feeling, but for me the descent is pure fun. I got off track a few times because of the fatigue of a hard week, but I always corrected and tried not to take too many risks," she recalled of the descent.

After the descent, the 30-year-old Garcia closed in on Van Vleuten and Cavalli, eventually catching them with 15km to go, but Garcia lost significant time on the descent, losing over 1.5 minutes to Longo Borghini.

"After getting word that Mavi Garcia was losing time in the last 20km of the stage, I hatched the idea of challenging her for third place for the first time. Longo Borghini explained the thought process that led him to pull in the maglia rosa for most of the finale.

In the end, Longo Borghini finished third on the stage for the second day in a row, 2:32 ahead of Garcia, who held the bottom podium spot by 49 seconds. Longo Borghini had no regrets and applauded his rivals' performance.

"Mavi's gap on GC was not small and she is strong. She and UAE Team ADQ showed their strength. For my part, I am very happy with the performance."

"I am very happy with the performance.

With all the Grand Tours in his home country over, Longo Borghini's thoughts turned to the first Tour de France Femme.

"After the Giro, I will stay in the highlands of Sestriere with my fiancé Jacopo Mosca. It will be an important rest period to recover my mind and body before the big challenge."