Lizzie's Profile
Biography
A visit by British Cycling’s Apprentice programme to Deignan’s school in Otley, Yorkshire, in 2004 revealed her potential and, at the relatively advanced age of 15, one of the sport’s most successful careers was underway.
Initially, she showed particular talents in circuit racing and on the track where she won gold in the 2007 UEC Under-23 European Track Championships scratch race, the first of many international successes after two productive years at national level.
Injuries disrupted her progress throughout the winter of 2007-08 but, by the end of 2008, Deignan was showing her incredible ability on the track, winning double gold at the UEC Under-23 European Track Championships and an astonishing seven gold medals in three UCI Track Cycling World Cup meetings in Manchester, Melbourne and Copenhagen.
That dominant form continued at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland, where she claimed the world title in the team pursuit with Joanna Rowsell Shand and Wendy Houvenhagel, collected silver in the scratch, despite crashing late in the race, and bronze in the points race with a badly-injured hand.
However, Deignan’s talent on the road was also beginning to shine through. In 2008, she had played a part in Nicole Cooke’s gold medal ride at the UCI Road World Championships and, the following year, riding for the Lotto-Belisol team, won a stage of the Tour de l’Ardeche and best young rider classification at the Giro d’Italia Femminile.
More golds on the track
The winter of 2009-10 again brought yet more golds at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Manchester in the team pursuit and scratch and silvers in the team pursuit and omnium at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Copenhagen.
But by the summer of 2010, riding for the Cervelo Test Team, it was obvious that Deignan was developing into a major power on the world road racing stage, with a silver medal in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, three stage wins at the Tour de l’Ardeche and a creditable ninth at the UCI Road World Championships in Geelong, Australia.
The road would remain Deignan’s focus thereafter, with 2011 bringing her first national title and, as she geared towards the 2012 Olympics, more stage race success at the Thuringen Rundfahrt der Frauen and a seventh at the UCI Road World Championships.
Riding for the AA Drink-Leontien.nl team, Deignan built her year around the Olympics and recorded early season wins at one-day races the Omloop van het Hageland and Gent-Wevelgem. London 2012 would end in success for Deignan, on the opening weekend of competition, as she made it into a four-rider break in wet conditions and eventually won silver on the Mall, behind Marianne Vos, to claim the first of many British medals at the Games.
Armitstead moved onto the Boels Dolmans Cycling Team for the post-Olympic year, one which was plagued by a hernia problem, although she still managed to claim her second British road race title, from fellow London Olympic medallists Laura Kenny and Dani King and performed well in stage races La Route de France and the Boels Ladies Tour.
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Selected Career Highlights to Date
Results
2021
Tour de Suisse
1st, general classification
1st, points classification
1st, mountains classification
2020
GP de Plouay-Lorient Agglomeration Trophee
1st
La Course by Le Tour de France
1st
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
1st
2019
Ovo Energy Women’s Tour
1st, general classification
1st, points classification
2017
GP de Plouay-Lorient Agglomeration Trophee
1st
La Course by Le Tour de France
2nd
Tour de Yorkshire
1st
2016
Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio
1st
Boels Rental Hills Classic
1st
World Championship Team Time Trial
1st
Aviva Women's Tour
1st, general classification
1st, best British
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1st
Strade Bianche
1st
2015
Ladies Tour of Qatar
1st general classification
1st, points classification
Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio
1st
Boels Rental Hills Classic
1st
The Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic
1st
GP de Plouay-Bretagne
1st
UCI Road World Championships, Richmond (USA)
Gold, road race
2014
Omloop van het Hageland-Tielt-Winge
1st
Boels Rental Ronde van Drenthe
1st
International Thuumlringen Rundfahrt der Frauen mountains
1st, classification
Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (UK)
Gold, road race
2012
London Olympic Games, London (UK)
Silver, road race
Omloop van het Hageland-Tielt-Winge
1st
2011
International Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen points
1st classification
2010
UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Silver, Team pursuit
Silver, Omnium
Commonwealth Games, Delhi (India)
Silver, Road race
2009
UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Pruszkow (Poland)
Gold, Team pursuit
Silver, Scratch race
Bronze, Points race
UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Gold, Scratch race
Gold, Team pursuit
UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Manchester (UK)
Gold, Team pursuit
Gold, Points race
2008
UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Manchester (UK)
Gold, Points race
Gold, Scratch race
Gold, Team pursuit
UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Melbourne (Australia)
Gold, Scratch race
Gold, Team pursuit
UEC European Track Championships, Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Gold, Under-23 scratch race
Gold, Under-23 team pursuit
Silver, Under-23 points race
Boezinge-Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
1st
2007
UEC U23 European Track Championship, Cottbus (Germany)
Gold, Scratch race
Silver, Points race
2005
UCI Track Cycling Junior World Championships, Vienna (Austria)
Silver, Scratch race