At the finish line, there is only one winner. Victory was only possible thanks to the essential support of teammates who sacrifice their personal ambitions for the captain. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has crowned only one queen in yellow: Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022, then Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Phinney, and finally Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in the summer of 2025. Everyone knows what they owe to their teammates, especially those most precious and present at the top. Before crowning a new winner on Sunday, August 9 in Nice, the official Tour website gives voice to these exceptional figures, who tell us about their roles with "PFP," Kasia, or Demi, and paint a different portrait of the Yellow Jersey candidates.

Silvia Persico: "Elisa Longo Borghini fights for her teammates, both on the bike and off"

Some experiences are fundamental because they offer a first taste of what we want in life. Others have the opposite effect, highlighting what we want to avoid. Silvia Persico has a precious memory of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022. "It was one of my best performances as a professional. I fought for victory in several stages, I lost against my childhood idol, Marianne Vos, in one of them, then I finished 5th in the general classification."

However, the Bergamo native has neither the desire nor the intention to pursue this type of objective in the years to come. "Today I no longer want to aim for the general classification of a Grand Tour. It's too exhausting, both physically and mentally. After that revealing performance, the pressure became too high to bear."

Now she feels much more fulfilled in the role of teammate in service of the captains in the most important races. "I've always been a winner and always will be, but in the last two years I've changed roles, and I like it." Even more so when this role consists of supporting one of the great figures in women's cycling: Elisa Longo Borghini.

From worry to serenity: "When I found out Elisa was coming, I was very happy... and a bit worried..."

For eighteen months, Persico was the leader of the promising UAE Team ADQ, alternating good performances with even more disappointing results, until the Emirati team decided to sign Elisa Longo Borghini to take a step forward in 2025. Present at the highest international levels for over ten years and with a prestigious resume, Longo Borghini is, according to Persico, "the reference for all Italian cyclists. When they told me she was coming, I thought it was just a rumor," recalls the all-rounder from Alzano Lombardo. "Then we participated together in a training camp before the Paris Olympics and she was the one who confirmed to me it was true. That surprised me."

The team was about to change dimension, as it was still struggling to reach the very high standards imposed by its male counterpart, UAE Team Emirates. "I was very happy... and a bit worried. I knew her a little from the Italian national team and we got along, but we never really had the opportunity to get to know each other better. It was a bit scary, you know? We didn't talk much and, apart from cycling, she seemed rather closed off, as if she were too serious to fit into a group where we spend time joking around. Over time, these fears disappeared: today she chats, jokes, and laughs as much as everyone else. And sometimes we understand each other without even having to speak."

Protector and mentor: "She guides all of us"

In Elisa Longo Borghini, Persico discovered a woman with "an impressive work ethic," always ready to "push herself to her limits, both in training and in racing." Her passion is probably what characterizes her best. "She loves cycling so much that it drives her to give her best every day." It is this passion that has allowed her to win in diverse and challenging events like the Giro d'Italia or Paris-Roubaix Femmes, showing remarkable strength of character. This sporting greatness is also evident on a human level. "Elisa is a true mentor for all of us. It's rare to meet a leader like her, who takes care of each of her teammates and fights for them, inside and outside of races."

A quality often invisible but essential: the ability to protect your team, absorb external pressures, and create a serene environment. "Elisa manages very well the expectations that weigh on her. Sometimes we don't even realize she's under pressure." For Persico, pedaling at her side is a true relief. "In our first race together, the UAE Tour 2025, I was very happy when the sports directors asked me to race for her. I had never worked for such a strong cyclist, and that freed me from the pressure I felt in previous years. We finished first and second on the queen stage... and then the general classification, not bad!"

The Tour in sight: "Every team member is essential for the leader's victory"

In the last year and a half, Persico and Longo Borghini have shared 49 days of racing and achieved 12 victories: one for Persico, eleven for Longo Borghini. "I feel I played an important role in many of her successes. Sometimes I'm her last teammate, which gives me more airtime compared to the other girls. But every team member is essential to allow the leader to finish the job and win. And in the end, whoever deserves the most honors is always the one who pushes the limit first."

None of their victories achieved together is as precious as the 2025 Giro, won thanks to a spectacular two-person attack on the penultimate stage. Longo Borghini was 16 seconds behind pink jersey wearer Marlen Reusser when she and Persico took command of the group of favorites on a descent before the final climb to Monte Nerone. "This attack was completely unplanned, but it worked perfectly. The sports directors had asked us to be at the front on the descent, and I love going fast in this exercise. We created a gap, then the car asked us to slow down to wait for the group. But Elisa insisted on continuing and we decided to go all the way."

After an hour of intense effort, Longo Borghini took the pink jersey before sealing her final victory the next day. "But I still think we really won this Giro on a flat stage," Persico said. After her demonstration of courage and mastery at the Giro, Elisa Longo Borghini approaches the next Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as one of the great favorites. At her side, UAE Team ADQ will field Paula Blasi, the revelation of the season after her success in the Vuelta Femenina 26 de Carrefour.es, plus a solid group of teammates, including Silvia Persico. "I'll be in service of the team, even though I might have some opportunities to play my card in certain stages. But most of the time I'll work for Elisa and the other team leaders. Together, we'll try to win the Yellow Jersey that the whole team desires."

THE PROFILE

Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)
Born July 25, 1997 in Alzano Lombardo (Italy)

Teams:
    Valcar - Viaggi e Servizi (2017-2022)
    UAE Team ADQ (since 2023)

Top results:
    2026: winner of Giro dell'Appennino
    2025: winner of Giro del Veneto
    2023: winner of Brabantse Pijl
    2022: 3rd at UCI Road World Championships

Results at Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift:
    2024: 69th overall
    2023: 14th overall, 3rd in stage 2
    2022: 5th overall, 2nd in stage 2, 3rd in stage 8