"I don't want to look back with any regrets" - Lizzie Deignan will be "racing every weekend" to fully savor her final season as a pro
Cycling
In her final season as a professional cyclist, the former World Champion and silver Olympic medallist Elizabeth Deignan won't aim for the most prestigious trophies and big victories anymore. Deignan will compete in the biggest races such as Milano-Sanremo, Vuelta a Espana or the Tour de France, but unlike in the past, she'll be there just as a helpful domestique in support of her up-and-coming Lidl-Trek teammates. A role she learnt to enjoy as well.
"I'm basically doing everything. I think the only [one-day] WorldTour races that I skip in the spring are Gent-Wevelgem and De Panne, so I'm racing every weekend," Deignan told Cyclingnews before the start of the season.
"I'm pretty flexible now, obviously my role is a little bit different, so it's about supporting the goals of the other riders. I'm somebody who likes racing, not someone who craves those long training camps at altitude or whatever." For the moment, her Grand Tour plans are "the Vuelta and the Tour," but "skipping the Giro, because people are saying it's maybe too close" to the spring classics.
After nearly two decades of competing at the highest level, the 2025 season will therefore be the final one for Deignan. And nothing will change her mind. "I'm really aware that there's no going back when I stop, it's really the end," Deignan said. "So I don't want to look back with any regrets and have a countdown feeling towards the end. I really want to try and take it all in because it is an amazing job and I do appreciate it. I want to look back with fond memories."
"Now, my motivation is different," said the 36-year-old mother of two. More than her own results, she's looking to guide the promising young riders in her team. "I take a lot of enjoyment from seeing riders developing confidence because I think you can have all the data analysis and the nutrition and everything else in the world that we do have now. But if a rider is doubting themselves and doesn't believe in themselves, then you have nothing. To be able to help them really, truly believe in themselves is very important."
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