Some podiums are built on superiority, others on consistency. And then there are those that are worth even more because they come after having gone through difficulties, doubts, rough days and moments in which even just continuing to believe seems complicated. Elisa Longo Borghini's third place at the Tour de France Femmes belongs precisely to this latter category.

The Piedmontese rider from UAE Team L'IMAD closed the yellow jersey race on the third step of the podium, behind winner Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney. A result that, given how her week unfolded, carries enormous weight. Because Elisa hadn't arrived at the Tour on the eve of the race in ideal conditions to imagine such an important placement, and because in her three previous participations in the Grande Boucle, she had never managed to finish the race with the result she desired.

Two withdrawals, in 2023 and 2025, had left a wound. This time, however, the Italian champion held on until the end. She gritted her teeth, managed the fatigue, overcame the difficulties, and above all, never stopped fighting for an objective that seemed to slip away after each difficult day.

At 34 years old, Longo Borghini thus adds another prestigious result to an already extraordinary career. The girl from Verbania has won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 2024 and 2025, and in 2024 she also managed to reach the podium of the Vuelta a España, finishing in third place. Now comes also the third place at the Tour, the result that was missing from her collection in the major stage races.

And perhaps precisely because of this, at the finish line, Elisa still struggles to realize what she has managed to do. "No, honestly I can't believe what I've done," she says. A sentence that perfectly captures the sense of a day in which fatigue reached the highest levels, but in which the Piedmontese still managed to find the energy to stay with the best.

"I told Paula I was blocked, but I wasn't really that blocked, because on the hard climb I managed not to lose too much from Demi Vollering and Niewiadoma and to come back under Fischer-Black."

Once again, the UAE's race was also a story of teamwork. Alongside Longo Borghini was Paula Blasi, the revelation of this season and precious in the decisive moment, capable of spending everything she had to help her teammate. A job that Elisa wanted to emphasize, because her podium is not just the result of an individual performance.

"We tried to control Niedermaier. I worked well with Paula, who pulled all the way to the top of the climb. I tried to control Niedermaier so she wouldn't escape, and we kept Kasia somewhat under control, so we could keep Niedermaier calm."

The tactic was clear: manage the opponents, protect the result, and arrive at the finish with the possibility of playing your cards. When the group caught up with Niewiadoma, the decision was made.

"When we got close to Kasia again, we decided to go for the sprint for Paula."

But even on the day of the podium, fate wanted to add one last chapter to Elisa Longo Borghini's story. A puncture in the final, just when the race was about to end.

"And at the end I got a puncture, because rightfully there always has to be a bit of thriller. Not to mention a bit of bad luck, come on, let's be honest."

A quip that also tells a lot about the character of the Italian champion. Because after a week in which she had to deal with the time trial, with fatigue, with mountains, and with a classification that seemed to be able to take different directions, even a puncture could become yet another obstacle. But this time Elisa had already overcome everything else.

"Honestly I have no words. I didn't think I'd be on the podium after the fifth stage and after the time trial."

Perhaps this is the sentence that best describes the value of the result. Elisa Longo Borghini didn't win third place because everything went according to plan. She won it precisely because the plan was continuously put to the test and she continued to react.

The Tour de France, after all, shows no mercy. Three weeks of racing, demanding stages, mountains, a time trial, and enormous pressure. Elisa had to consume an enormous amount of energy also from a mental point of view. Every day there was something to manage, something to recover, something to defend.

And now, finally, she can leave it all behind. She doesn't want to talk yet about vacations, plans, or what she'll do in the coming weeks. Her only desire is much simpler. "I don't want to think about vacations and what I'll do. Now I really just want to go home. I want to be with my family and lie on the couch and sleep for a week."

A sentence that makes you smile, but that tells better than any number how much that third place cost. "In the last few days I kept waking up at three in the morning and thinking about the time trial, the fifth stage, and this and that." The mind, as well as the legs, never stopped. The Tour continued even at night, in the thoughts of a cyclist who had already learned how thin the line is between a great day and a difficult day. Now that line can finally be forgotten. "I'm really tired and my only desire now is to go back home."

It's the simplest way to tell the story of the end of an extraordinary Tour. Elisa Longo Borghini returns home with a bronze medal around her neck, after achieving a result that just a few days earlier seemed distant. Third place behind Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney is not just another podium in her career. It's proof that, even when everything seems to get complicated, Elisa Longo still knows how to find the strength to stay on her feet, pedal, and make it to the end.