Letizia Borghesi finishes third at the Bretagne Ladies Tour

Letizia Borghesi finishes third at the Bretagne Ladies Tour

AG Insurance - Soudal wins the team classification, rounding out a strong weekend in France.

Letizia Borghesi sealed the first overall podium of her career after concluding fifth on the final stage of the Bretagne Ladies Tour. One of the most consistent riders of the French stage race, Letizia was part of a small group that fought for victory in Laval, and the gap those riders put into the chasers after the peloton split, together with the bonifications captured on the local circuit, elevated the Italian into the top three of the general classification.

The final stage, however, was far from straightforward for AG Insurance - Soudal. The team came into the day with the ambition of racing aggressively and targeting the intermediate sprints, but bad luck struck early. Letizia suffered a flat tire just before one of the intermediate sprints, while both she and Amandine Muller were later involved in a crash. Despite these setbacks, the team remained composed and fought their way back into contention, showing great resilience throughout the day.

It was a well-deserved result for the 27-year-old from Cles, who concluded in the top ten on all three stages of this edition, including Saturday’s individual time trial, which proved crucial in the battle for the general classification. On top of that, AG Insurance - Soudal claimed the team classification, repeating the success achieved in 2023 and capping off an impressive collective performance in France.

“Yesterday we had quite some bad luck, with a flat tire just before the intermediate sprint and then a nasty crash for both myself and Amandine. It was really hard to keep going after that, but thanks to the commitment of the entire team, we kept fighting together until the end and still managed to secure a podium place in the general classification. We showed great resilience and, even if we came here aiming for more and things didn’t always go our way, we can be proud of what we achieved. Racing alongside our young Wolves and our new addition Amandine was really special. I was impressed by their level and the way they raced throughout these three days,” said Letizia after the finish.

Sports director Fien Delbaere praised the team’s determination and fighting spirit throughout the race: “The plan was to race offensively. We had identified two intermediate sprints where we wanted to take bonus seconds, but unfortunately Letizia suffered a flat tire just before the first opportunity. Later in the stage, both Letizia and Amandine were involved in a crash, but fortunately they were able to return to the peloton without any major injuries. Once we entered the local circuit, Letizia managed to take valuable bonus seconds and because of some small time differences at the finish, she secured her third place in the general classification. On top of that, we won the team classification. It was a great three days of racing with this mixed squad of WorldTour and Devo riders. Our goal was to take a stage victory, which ultimately didn’t happen, but I’m incredibly proud of how we raced and how everyone committed themselves to the team over the entire weekend.”