Elisa Longo Borghini delivered a commanding performance to win Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women, crossing the finish line solo in Locarno and moving into the overall race lead.
The Italian champion timed her effort to perfection, capitalising on the strong work of her UAE Team ADQ teammates before launching a decisive attack on the day’s key climb. Her victory not only secured the stage win but also earned her the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification.
UAE Team ADQ controls the race
UAE Team ADQ played a crucial role throughout the 105.6-kilometre stage, setting up Longo Borghini for the decisive moments of the race.
After a controlled opening phase, the race intensified on the final climb, where the leading contenders began to emerge. Longo Borghini remained patient and measured her effort carefully before making her move at exactly the right moment.
Decisive attack proves successful
The race turned when Longo Borghini accelerated away from Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto).
At the same time, Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) and Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) were closing the gap from behind. However, the UAE Team ADQ rider quickly established an advantage and continued to increase her lead over the closing kilometres.
What began as a gap of just ten seconds soon grew to twenty seconds and eventually approached half a minute as Longo Borghini powered towards the finish line.
Chasing group loses ground after wrong turn
While Longo Borghini extended her advantage at the front, the chasing group encountered unexpected difficulties.
With just over three kilometres remaining, Niewiadoma and Reusser took a wrong turn, losing valuable time before being rejoined by Steffi Häberlin (Team SD Worx-Protime).
The incident further strengthened Longo Borghini’s position and allowed her to approach the finish with a comfortable margin.
Yellow jersey secured in Locarno
After 105.6 kilometres of racing, Longo Borghini crossed the line in Locarno 30 seconds ahead of Sarah Van Dam.
Behind them, Häberlin, Reusser, and Niewiadoma completed the top five, finishing 47 seconds behind the stage winner.
The result propelled Longo Borghini into the overall lead of the Tour de Suisse Women.
She now holds a 27-second advantage over Lauren Dickson (FDJ-SUEZ), while Sarah Van Dam sits third overall at 34 seconds. Steffi Häberlin follows at 53 seconds, with both Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma a further four seconds behind.
Rider reaction
After pulling on the yellow jersey, Longo Borghini said:
“I was feeling really good. At first, I couldn’t understand why Kasia wasn’t working with me, but then I realised she was suffering a bit. So I decided to try something. I attacked, saw that she couldn’t respond, and kept going all the way to the finish line. I’m very happy with this victory, especially because my whole family was here. We’re not far from home and it’s always special to have them close by. I’m even prouder of this win because my mother was here to see it. Tomorrow I’ll try to enjoy wearing the yellow jersey and we’ll see what happens.”
Tour de Suisse Women continues
The Tour de Suisse Women continues on Friday with Stage 3, a 120.8-kilometre route around Bad Ragaz featuring a single Category 3 climb.
With the yellow jersey now on her shoulders, Longo Borghini and UAE Team ADQ will look to defend their advantage as the race enters its decisive stages.
To learn more on Team ADQ, listen to Inside UAE Team ADQ with Melissa Moncada on the Mettleset podcast
