And yes, @lizziedeignan will return to race in 2023, having signed an extended contract with Trek-Segafredo! 🥳 bit.ly/deignanbaby
Lizzie Deignan announces pregnancy and contract extension with Trek-Segafredo
CyclingWednesday, 23 February 2022 at 16:30
Trek Segafredo's Lizzie Deignan has announced she is pregnant with her second child and will return to racing in the 2023 season. The Paris-Roubaix defending champion is seeking to return to competition next year and has signed a new contract with the American team all the way into 2024.
“Phil and I are delighted to let everyone know that we are expecting our second child in September. Obviously having a baby is a big decision, but it wasn’t a difficult one for us. We’ve always wanted to have a big family and I think the time is right to have another child,” Deignan said in a press release this morning.
I feel like I am established and able in my career to make the next step to have another child and everything behind the scenes fell into place. All the logical stuff like having a settled team and [being] settled where we live was all really good. It was an emotional, but logical decision to make our family bigger. Having been through the journey of having a baby and returning to the sport, I’ve realised that it is possible, and physically it’s actually easier than I expected," she added. Deignan has previously skipped the 2018 season due to the pregnancy and birth of her first child and had a successful return to cycling in the year after winning the Women's Tour. Success did not stop there as in the following years she's won La Course by Tour de France, the women's Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour de Suisse and most recently the first edition of Paris-Roubaix with an incredible performance.
One point Deignan is keen on pointing out is something that is very important in women's cycling currently: “I think it’s really important that women don’t see the fact that they want to become a mother as a limiting factor in their career. Becoming a Mum has always been a dream of mine as well as being a professional athlete."
“To be able to combine the two has made me very proud. I do feel very passionate about advocating for other women to do the same. Ultimately, it’s part of a lot of women’s lives and it should be celebrated and encouraged and supported. With a flexible approach from a team, sponsors and those around you, anything is possible. I really believe that a happy athlete is a better athlete," she said.
Alongside the announcement of her pregnancy, it has also been announced Trek-Segafredo resigned her into the 2024 season. Deignan is expecting to return to competition in 2023 and race on for at least another two years in the peloton.
“It’s been quite an emotional experience, actually. Talking with Trek and telling them about my pregnancy, they gave me their complete support. I first told Ina, my sports director, and her immediate response was ‘That’s f***ing awesome, congratulations!’ That took me back, really. It meant so much to me personally to have that support. I’m a professional athlete in a professional cycling team, but the support feels very personal and I’m incredibly grateful," Deignan mentioned.
She completed by sharing her views on the opportunities that are yet to come on her professional cyclist career: “I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time to have a baby. Just like there’s never a perfect time to retire or to have an injury. There are so many things in sport that might make you miss an event, and for me, it’s the Tour de France Femmes and the commonwealth games this year. Next year it could be the first-ever women’s Milano-Sanremo, and that would be an amazing thing to take part in. I’m able to see past what I’ll miss. I’ll be there watching the girls and I’ll be right behind them. I know I’ll be envious at some points too, but it’s worth it.”
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