Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini won the Italian road race and time trial titles in 2020, finishing third in the Giro Rosa and World Championships and second in the world ranking behind world champion Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dormans). She finished the season in second place in the world ranking behind world champion Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans).

Longo, 29, interviewed Cycling News and other media remotely from his Trek-Segafredo camp to share his secrets to success, his goals for 2021, and his thoughts on the dominant Dutch rider, van der Breggen, and revealed his cunning plan to beat Annemiek van Grooten.

Longo Borghini had not yet started the 2020 season when the COVID-19 pandemic swept into Italy and led to the first major blockade in Europe. The first races, such as Strade Bianche, Ronde van Drenthe, and Trofeo Alfredo Binda, were cancelled or postponed, and the only competitions were in the virtual world.

"The first blockade was really tough for everyone," said Longo Borghini. 'Italy, France, and Spain were the most blockaded. Everything was closed and you couldn't leave your homes. On the other hand, I had to spend a lot of time on the rollers, which made me mentally stronger. I had to focus on the rollers all the time,

"And the Giro Virtual race was really hard on the rollers.

RCS Sport hosted the Virtual Giro d'Italia from April 18 to May 10, 2020, with elite men and women taking on seven stages. Longo Borghini said the challenge gave him mental strength.

"It was pretty tough, but it made me stronger and sometimes you have to do your best in bad situations. If I think positively about the lockdown and the pandemic, I have to say it made me much stronger.

"I remember when I raced the Vuelta Navarra (one of the first races in July) alone. It was 60 kilometers to the finish. But I ran the Giro Virtual, so anything is possible."

"I was in the Giro Virtual for the first time in my life," he said.

Longo Borghini's success this year was also helped by Lizzie Deignan returning to her best, Ellen van Dijk recovering from a terrible crash in 2019, and Trek-Segafredo becoming a more cohesive unit in their second season as a team

"I've been working on the team for a while now.

"I have a very strong team and I feel very backed up. When I race with my teammates, I know they are at a very high level, covering my breaks and getting me to the right place at the right moment. They make me feel more relaxed, safe, and comfortable. When I see them working for me, it really gets me fired up. So when it's my time, I'm even more motivated to get the final result because I see them pulling for me."

The Dutch riders are strong and dominant, but they showed that with smart team tactics they can win.

"It's not always a one-on-one battle, sometimes you win with team strategy," said Longo Borghini, adding that he does not believe that if Van Vleuten is on the line, he will automatically fight for second place.

"Cycling is really good because it's unpredictable. Just because she's on the start line doesn't mean she's going to win the race."

Longo Borghini will be looking to win the overall at the Giro Rosa in preparation for another Olympic appearance after reaching the podium in 2020. She said, "The Giro is a good race, it suits me, and it's very close to the Olympics, so if I'm in good shape at the Giro, I'll be in good shape at the Olympics.

The power structure of the women's peloton has changed somewhat this season, with Van Vleuten moving to the arguably weakened Movistar team and Ashley Moolman-Pasio joining SD Walks Van der Breggen.

"It's really hard to beat Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen, but we have a very strong team and we can play with team strategy; if you start with the mindset of aiming for second or third place, it's not worth starting." Longo Borghini said.

"2020 has shown what we are capable of as a team.

Although the Giro Rosa was downgraded from the UCI Women's World Tour because it could not meet live broadcast requirements, Longo Borghini still supports the race and hopes the change will stimulate improvements in some aspects of the organization.

"This is the longest stage race on the women's calendar and has always been the women's Grand Tour. They want the Giro to return to the World Tour, so maybe one grade down will improve it." He said.

Longo Borghini will start the 2021 season in Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. She is concentrating on the upcoming races, keeping that prospect out of her mind until the pre-Olympic quarantine becomes an issue.

Trek-Segafredo has three riders gone, with Shirin van Anlooy, former world champion Amalie Dideriksen, and sprinter Chloe Hosking joining this year. Longo Borghini said they fill a gap in an already strong roster.

"I think it's great to have a sprinter on the team. Last year we lacked that. We were always in the finals, but sometimes we lacked a pure sprinter to win races. With Amalie and Chloe on the team, I think we have a better chance to win than we do now. It is exciting to have some sprinters on the team."

The Italian also hopes that her own sprinting will improve as she believes more in herself. Longo Borghini, who has taken on more responsibility as team leader, has learned to conserve her energy early in the race and let her teammates do the work.

"I have to conserve energy in the early part of the race because I know I have to produce results for them.