After being talent spotted by British Cycling aged just 15, Lizzie Deignan was initially a track rider. At her first UCI Track Cycling World Cup, she took home a hattrick of gold medals and has since claimed additional gold medals at the Track World Cup Series, including the World Championship Title in the team pursuit event.
In 2013, Lizzie joined the Dutch Boels-Dolmans Team alongside Director Sportif Danny Stam, and hasn’t looked back since. The 2014 season got off to an incredible start, as she won the first UCI World Cup race and finished on the podium for the next three. This ensured she maintained her lead in the series, and was crowned the champion of the women’s 2014 world cup series at Open de Suede Vargarda, shortly after claiming gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Her great run of form on the road continued into 2015, winning the tour of Qatar, three UCI World Cup races, and regaining both the UCI World Cup Series and National Champions jersey. Her decisive victory in Richmond at the World Championships cemented her as the best in the world and granted her the honour of wearing the rainbow jersey for the 2016 season.
LIZZIE DEIGNAN – WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CYCLIS
2016 started in a similar vein, with wins, podium finishes and achieving her lifelong goal of winning the prestigious Tour of Flanders. She followed this up with a brilliant display to win the Aviva Women’s Tour GB. Whilst she won the World Championship team time trial, she finished 5th on a difficult Olympic course in Rio, and 4th at the Qatar championships on a course that was not in her favour.
LIZZIE DEIGNAN – ROAD CYCLIST
Lizzie is now fully focussed on road cycling, but does make time for the odd track appearance, including at the 2015 Manchester Revolutions event, where she lapped the field twice.
Lizzie took the 2018 season off, instead welcoming her first child, Orla, with her husband, Philip. When first announcing her pregnancy, Lizzie announced her desire to return to elite cycling after having her baby. Which she did. She joined the newly formed Trek Segafredo women’s road race team and made her return at the 2019 Amstel Gold, followed by a win at the Women’s Tour that summer.
During the pandemic season of 2020, Lizzie had some fantastic results, winning the GP de Plouay and La Course, finishing as the ICU Women’s Tour Leader. She suffered from illness at the start of 2021, but went on to win the Tour de Suisse, gain top results at the Giro Donne and La Course, and showed her skill at the postponed 2020 Olympic road race. Without a doubt, her best moment came on Saturday 2nd October 2021, when she won the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes, after pulling away from the peloton with more than 80km to go. “I feel so incredibly proud – women’s cycling is at a turning point and today is part of history.”
At the start of 2022, Lizzie announced she would be sitting the season out as she was pregnant with her second child. She also revealed that she had extended her contract with Trek-Segafredo to return to professional racing in 2023.
She competed at the 2024 Paris games, coming 12th in the women’s road race.
LIZZIE DEIGNAN – CORPORATE APPEARANCES
Appointed an MBE for Services to Cycling in the 2023 New Year’s Honours list, Lizzie is now in wide demand for corporate appearances.
SPEAKING TOPICS
– Peak Performance
– Cycling
– Olympics
– Leadership
– Teamwork
– Elite Sport
– Mental Resilience
– Being a Female in a Male-Dominated Sport
