Lizzie Deignan to retire in 2025 after one-year Lidl-Trek mentorship role extension - 'Sparked a bit of motivation'
Published 15/11/2024 at 17:31 GMT
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One of Britain's most successful road cyclists, Lizzie Deignan, will retire at the end of next season after a final year racing for American team Lidl-Trek. The 35-year-old is a London 2012 silver medallist and former world road race champion. Her iconic career saw her become a vocal advocate for women‘s cycling and sport off the bike, too.
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Lizzie Deignan is set to end her career and retire from professional cycling after the 2025 season.
The Lidl-Trek rider agreed to a one-year contract extension, which will see her compete next season before calling time on a legendary career.
Deignan won a silver medal on home soil at the London 2012 Olympic Games and boasts an impressive resume of professional victories.
Having planned to retire earlier, Deignan was tempted into another year of racing by Lidl-Trek - "motivated" by the opportunity of taking up a mentorship role.
“The reason I initially wanted to retire was because I no longer have the motivation for my own results,” she said.
“They spoke to me and offered me a contract in the vein of being a road captain and somebody that can mentor the younger riders coming through.
”That kind of sparked a bit of motivation in me and I thought, yeah, actually that's something that I am really motivated by. I really enjoy bringing out the best in the people around me. I still love cycling.”
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Along with her Olympic silver medal, Deignan won a rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Richmond, USA in 2015, a Commonwealth title in 2014, and holds multiple National Champion titles.
The birth of her first child in 2018 saw Deignan temporarily pause her career, but within 18 months of her return, she found herself top of the UCI Women’s WorldTour rankings once again.
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Such a break was a rarity in the women's peloton at the time, but Deignan has been an outspoken voice advocating for better conditions for women in the sport, as interest and investment has increased.
Now Deignan's new role as mentor will see her help the emerging talent at Lidl-Trek, who will be able to tap into her extensive experience of high-pressure races.
“The Team going forwards is full of young potential," Deignan added. "The signings that the team have made, I think, are really smart.
"I’ll be using my experience to help them understand how to deal with pressure in the big races. I think more and more in cycling it's all about marginal gains and sometimes the basics are forgotten.
"I'll be there to remind them of the basics, the feelings, the instincts and all the human side of it.
“Cycling is totally underestimated as a team sport, right? I grew up in cycling and I've seen this massive shift that I'm so proud to be a part of, but the basics are the same.
"You start as a domestique, you work your way up, you become a leader. Often people say, ‘Retire on the top.’
"But I have no ego or necessity to retire at the top. I'm really happy to go full circle and be somebody that helps other people win bike races again.”
Deignan became a one-day race specialist in her career, and was the first rider to win the three 'monument' one-day races: Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Flanders in Belgium, and Paris-Roubaix.
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