Long road to Roubaix
‘If you’d told me at the start of last year that I’d finish the season number one, I wouldn’t have believed it. And now I’m prepping for our “Hell of the North”. I seriously thought I’d be retired by now. Thank God I didn’t make that decision.’
Lizzie Deignan is in philosophical mood when Cyclist catches up with her on a Zoom chat. At the time of the interview she is in Tenerife, where in 2019 she and her husband – coach and former Sky rider Philip Deignan went to ride out their ‘post-baby slog’ and realised that life was good. Deignan decided she wasn’t ready to hang up her bibshorts after all.
‘Before that I was thinking of retiring after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,’ she says. ‘Then I realised how lucky I was. Women’s cycling is such an exciting place to be right now.’
Deignan’s epiphany, in the shadows of the 3,715m Mount Teide, was the catalyst for one of the strongest seasons of her illustrious career in 2020, which included four wins and led to her signing an extended two-year contract with Trek-Segafredo. The turnaround means she is in a good position to win the maiden women’s Paris-Roubaix, which takes place shortly after this issue goes to print.
‘You need the right weather, a bit of luck… there are so many different variables that add up to make the eventual winner’
‘It’s a massive opportunity for me,’ Deignan says. ‘Winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège last year gave me confidence that I can transfer
