Lizzie Armitstead and Rachel Atherton have been rewarded for a year which saw them both become world champions with nominations for the 2015 Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year award.

Armitstead enjoyed an outstanding year on the road, taking the UCI Women Road World Cup title for the second year in succession, before becoming only the fourth British woman to win the women’s road race at the worlds after Beryl Burton, Mandy Jones and Nicole Cooke.

Rachel Atherton bounced back from the disappointment of losing her world title in 2014 to completely dominate the women’s downhill season.

She won six out of seven races to secure the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup before going on to claim the world title for the third time in her career, beating fellow Briton and 2014 world champion Manon Carpenter into second place.  

British Cycling president Bob Howden, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the achievements of Lizzie and Rachel in 2015 and delighted to see them recognised with a nomination for this prestigious award.

“It was amazing to be there and witness Lizzie finally get the rainbow stripes that she has come so close to in recent years and establish herself as the best in the world.

“Rachel has bounced back from losing her world title in 2014 and totally dominated her sport in 2015. To be a three-time downhill world champion is an incredible achievement.

“It’s fantastic to see British women doing so well on the world stage. British Cycling has a commitment to getting one million more women riding bikes by 2020 and having such amazing role models can only help inspire more women to take up the sport.”

The winner will be announced on Friday 6 November with the awards being broadcast on Sky Sports 1 and Sky 1.