A few days ago, we left Elisa Longo Borghini victorious in the Dwars Door Vlaanderen, a race she literally dominated with a solo attack for almost 30 kilometers. An incredible display of strength that allowed her to take revenge on her direct rivals, who were left thoroughly defeated. This victory becomes even more important considering the Tour of Flanders is tomorrow.

"The victory the other day has definitely boosted my morale, I confirmed that I'm in good form," she says without beating around the bush. "I proved to others and especially to myself that I can go fast, I'm confident in my abilities. Sunday will be a different race, much longer and harder with incredibly strong competitors, but I can't wait to race." Everyone was moved watching her emotion in that victory where she did exactly what she had promised at Milan-San Remo: to break away and not be caught. "When I was alone in the breakaway on Wednesday, I thought about San Remo, the finale I've watched and rewatched countless times. I told myself 'they won't catch me now'", I kept repeating to myself. I had to arrive first, I had to succeed because my team and I deserved it.

After her troubles at Strade Bianche, Elisa has recovered with new energy, the desire to take her revenge, but also to entertain and enjoy herself on the bike. At Binda, San Remo, and Wednesday at Dwars, we saw her ignite the race, throwing herself into the fray as she loves to do. "I always have so much fun racing, especially in races like Dwars that are a bit 'ignorant'". There's so much dust, you go right and left, there's incredible chaos where you can't understand anything anymore - and that's exactly when I love it most. The Tour of Flanders is a difficult race to interpret, you must know how to manage your energy and always be on top. A crash or a puncture could compromise everything. It will be crucial to work with the team, fortunately Silvia Persico has recovered after her rib fracture and will be my right-hand woman. I approach this with a light heart, knowing I've already won the Tour of Flanders twice. Everyone seeks records, chases sensational news, but the reality is that if I cross the finish line giving 110% and finish fifth, it means four riders were faster than me. The important thing is to fight until the end," Elisa continues, smiling and reminding us of the strength and genuineness that have always distinguished her.

Her family won't be supporting her at the Oudenaarde finish line; her husband Jacopo is in a training camp in Sierra Nevada, and the others, as she jokes, have left her in the wind. But the fan support certainly won't be missing. On the roads, we already saw Italian flags and fans from around the world cheering her on, as is the tradition of cycling fans. "Last year's victory with the Italian tricolor was something special, I'll never forget it," she says. "I struggle to describe all the emotions I experienced, especially because I was on the podium with my teammate Shirin Van Anrooij, who is also a great friend. I'm proud to be Italian and to wear the tricolor, and I still find it hard to describe the emotions of winning like that. Throughout the entire route, I heard many people shouting my name, and the same happened on Wednesday. They cheered me on in Italian - it was special. Sporza even interviewed me in my language, which was strange but beautiful." It's impossible to forget her tricolor victory after a grueling race marked by bad weather, the second success in a competition that in the men's category saw Italy dominate and create a true legend. Sunday is forecast to be sunny, and Elisa could become the first woman in history to win the Tour of Flanders three times, but she doesn't like looking at numbers or statistics, preferring to give her all and follow her heart. Longo doesn't make proclamations or launch challenges claiming to be unbeatable. She knows she has good chances of success but also that many strong teams will try to obstruct her. "Managing to arrive alone would be a dream, but I don't think my rivals will allow it. There are many strong teams that will try to make the race hard, and it will be crucial to stay united with my teammates and, most importantly, safe."

Elisa answers our questions and those of foreigners with an incredible smile and serenity. She doesn't tell us, but we've understood perfectly: she will be the athlete to beat. However, one curiosity remains that goes beyond athletic performance, a question that only a few athletes ready to joke like Longo would entertain: what happened to the horse won at Dwars Door Vlaanderen? "My teammates decided to call him Helicopter, but he's already been booked by my husband Jacopo," she says. "He says he'll put him in front of the house next to our two 'nanos' (small ones). There will be so much crowding that I won't be able to enter anymore. For now, our bus driver is taking care of him, but he'll soon return to Italy. He might even be able to make sounds, to talk, but first we need to figure out how to put in the batteries," and who knows, this time Elisa might count on a truly special new fan...