Elisa Longo Borghini and Filippo Ganna dug deep to lead the Italian mixed relay team to a long-awaited gold at the cycling world championships time trial on Tuesday, ahead of France and Switzerland.
The mixed relay has proved to be highly popular with the competitors since it was added to the roster in 2019 and is the only road cycling event where men and women compete together on the same team.
"We've been chasing this title for so long. I love this event. I'm absolutely over the moon right now," said Longo Borghini, who was on the team that took bronze two years ago, as well as silver in the 2022 edition.
Longo Borghini, Vittoria Guazzini, Monica Trinca Colonel, Ganna, Mattia Cattaneo and Matteo Sobrero were all on the team, with the men going first and the women embarking last.
"We've had to dig really deep. We've been chasing this title for a long time. It's a moment that will stay with us for the rest of our careers," said Ganna.