Elisa Longo Borghini is among the favorites to win the elite women's road race at this Saturday's UCI Road World Championships in Imola, Italy. Longo Borghini, who is in great form with two stage wins and one overall podium at the Giro Rosa, could be the first rider to bring the rainbow jersey back to Italy since Giorgia Bronzini won it back-to-back almost a decade ago.

However, Longo Borghini has no such pressure on his shoulders and remained realistic about his chances of winning the road racing world title in an interview with Cycling News on Wednesday.

"To be fair, I'm not one to walk on clouds, I don't know," Longo Borghini said. 'I feel good, I'm racing well, I'm feeling good. Championships are always special races, from the All-Japan Championship to the European Championship and the World Championship. I'm in good shape and I want to do my best.

The Italian team for Imola has not been confirmed, but the preliminary start list includes Elisa Balsamo, Sofia Bertizzolo, Marta Cavalli, Elena Cecchini, Elena Franchi, former world champion and 2018 bronze medalist Tatiana Gderzo, Erika Magnardi, Soraya Paladin, Katia Ragusa, Ilaria Sanguinetti, and Deborah Silvestri are among the nine players. Longo Borghini said the final selection will be made closer to Saturday's race.

"The national coach will decide soon," Longo Borghini said. Right now we are here with nine riders, and the national director will decide who will be in the race. I will definitely be in the race."

Longo Borghini had his best season to date with two podium finishes in the Classica Femenina Navarra and Durango Durango Emacmen Sarria in the calendar revision that began at the end of July. He followed that up with the time trial title at the Italian Championships and a silver medal at the European Championships. He then helped his Trek-Segafredo teammate Lizzie Deignan win the Plouay GP and La Course.

At the Giro Rosa, which closed on Saturday, Longo Borghini helped Trek-Segafredo to a team time trial victory and the first Maria Rosa of the nine-day race. Longo Borghini won stage 8 and finished on the podium in third place overall, behind winner Anna van der Breggen and second-place finisher Kasia Nievesiadoma.

Asked if the week between the end of the Giro Rosa and the elite women's road race at the World Championships was enough time to recover, Longo Borghini said he was feeling well, despite having a cold.

"I don't feel bad. A little bit of a cold, but nothing special. But overall I feel good and I feel like I recovered from the Giro," Longo Borghini said.

"I'm especially happy to be competing in the World Championships in Italy, because it's a great opportunity for me to show what I'm capable of.

Longo Borghini said that despite winning the time trial title at the end of August, he decided to skip the event at the World Championships on Thursday because the flat 31.7 km course did not suit him.

"I wasn't sure if I would recover after the Giro, so I decided not to participate this year. I would have been better off skipping the time trial this year because it just wasn't for me."

The women's peloton will compete on Saturday on a challenging 143 km (5-lap) road race circuit that starts and finishes at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari International Automobile Stadium in Imola.

"It's always nice to have such a great race in my country," said Longo Borghini. The course is really great. I previewed it this morning and I think it's really hard.

Bronzini was the last Italian to win the elite women's road race world title, winning back-to-back titles in Geelong in 2010 and Copenhagen in 2011. Since then, Longo Borghini won the bronze medal in Valkenburg in 2012, Rossella Ratto in Florence in 2013, and Gderzo in Innsbruck in 2018.

Asked if this is the year to bring the rainbow jersey back to Italy, Longo Borghini said, "It is always difficult to answer this question because the race is so complicated. It is easy to say you can win the race, but it is difficult to do it. Some opponents want to win the race. Our national team is in good shape and I think we can have a good race.

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