Just six months after giving birth to her second child, Trek - Segafredo's Lizzie Deignan is set to return to action at La Fleche Wallone Feminine later today.
Women's road race world champion back in 2015, a Tour of Flanders winner in 2016, Strade Bianche Donne winner in 2016 plus Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes in 2020 and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner in 2021, Deignan is one of the most successful riders of her era. However, the 34-year-old Brit has not raced competitively since the ninth of October 2021 at the Women's Tour of Britain.
"Where did that 6 months go?!" Deignan wrote on an Instagram post of her and her two daughters. "I actually can’t put it all in to words, Flèche Wallone here I come," the post concludes. On the official Trek-Segafredo website Deignan went into more detail on her return.
“I’m really excited, it’s a different range of emotions,” Deignan says. "It’s really strange to be back at the same hotel that we always stay at for the Ardennes. It’s like nothing has really changed here, but so much has changed in my life outside. It’s kind of a surreal feeling to be back but also a really familiar and safe feeling to be again with my Team."
“I spent time watching the races in the past weeks and there’s no doubt that SD Worx has been phenomenal. They’ve really stepped up but I think that’s not something that’s new, Vollering and Kopecky are exceptional athletes," she continues. "But I think it’s a long season and you can’t quickly jump to conclusions about our capacity to battle with them. I think we’ll get more and more competitive as the season goes on. They’ve dominated the spring, but for sure we will be back."