'Special' national championships will help to inspire says reigning champion Deignan

'Special' national championships will help to inspire says reigning champion Deignan

Navigation:
Home

Reigning national road race champion Lizzie Deignan believes that this year’s HSBC UK | National Road Championships will provide a showcase of cycling, with riders of all ages and abilities encouraged to get involved with Northumberland’s Cyclone Festival of Cycling.

This year’s time trial (Thursday 28 June) and road race (Sunday 1 July) events will sandwich a family leisure ride (Friday 29 June) and a sportive (Saturday 30 June), giving riders the opportunity to watch the country’s best road cyclists and take part in events across the weekend.

The 2015 road world champion Deignan, who recently announced that she is pregnant with her first child, won her fourth women’s road race title at last year’s championships on the Isle of Man.

She said: “The national championships are always special, and although I won’t be riding this year, to pull on the national champion’s jersey is usually one of my main goals of the season.

"Riding in front of a home crowd is always inspiring and the people and families who line the route to support the riders at national championships make it special. 

“The crowds show how cycling has grown in popularity in Britain in the last few years, and to know that you’re helping to inspire people to get on their bikes and get active as well, is a great feeling.

National championships will help to inspire says reiging champion Lizzie Deignan

“For the elite events to sit alongside mass participation rides at this year’s HSBC UK | National Road Championships is brilliant, and a chance for that inspiration to have an immediate effect. It should make for a great festival atmosphere weekend for everyone involved.”

Peter Harrison, organiser of the Cyclone Festival of Cycling, added: “To be hosting the HSBC UK | National Road Championships is a great opportunity to showcase this beautiful region and to boost cycling in the North East.

"We look forward to welcoming many thousands of cyclists to take part in and watch four days of outstanding cycling.”

Routes for the time trial and road race events will be released in due course, and all the information on the festival, and how to enter the family leisure ride and sportive, is available here.