The national anthem sung at the top of her lungs with her teammates, flowers to give to mom Guidina, and a hug for dad Ferdinando, who for once left his garden and animals to watch his girl live, for whom the tricolor jersey is now a second skin.

Elisa Longo Borghini has confirmed herself as the queen of Italy and tells it with the emotion of a veteran: "It's never easy to start as a favorite and win, but with the team we took control from the start. I must say thank you to the entire squad that pushed hard on the toughest climb. Today, without my teammates, I wouldn't have won. Almost unintentionally, we found ourselves three. I'm really attached to the Italian Championship, it's a race that must always be honored. When I start, I have in mind to give my all. Wearing the tricolor jersey for another year is truly a great honor. The puncture in the final kilometers? I could feel the tubeless deflating, I waited for the team car to change bikes and avoid risks, then someone did get an earful from my mechanic, but in the end, everything went almost smoothly."

And again, waiting to climb the podium: "For me, this is a great emotion. This is the first title I've won with UAE Team ADQ. I dedicate this victory to the team and my coach Paolo Slongo, who always believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself, and naturally to my husband Jacopo (Mosca, professional at Lidl Trek, ed.) because he supported and put up with me a lot. This Italian championship has given me good answers ahead of the Giro d'Italia Women starting in a few days. My motivation is high. Personally, I'm approaching the start by resetting everything, almost like it's year zero, even though a year ago I won the pink jersey."