Lizzie Deignan excited for the next generation of UK cycling: "There are more and more British flags in the top 25"

After making her return to action at the recent La Fleche Wallone Feminine, Lizzie Deignan has been speaking to Cycling News and spoken of her excitement for the next generation of British riders.

"I think it's been an impressive kind of year for British talent, actually, like seeing Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson and Alice Towers. There have been quite a few performances which I've looked at, and you know, there are more and more British flags in the top 25," Deignan said. "You might not be seeing riders on the podium right now. But, actually, there is a generation coming through. And I hope I'm under pressure. I don't want to be comfortable."

Despite the positives, Deignan expressed her concern over the cancellation of the Women's Tour, the traditional British stage race. "Obviously, I feel disappointed about the Women's Tour. I was looking forward to that race, as a British rider, and I've won it before, and I think with the trajectory of my form, I would be coming into some nice form by the June race, fitness-wise," Deignan explains. "I can comment that I'm disappointed, and I can also say that I don't quite understand how it has happened."

After being cancelled due to covid in 2020 and 2021, the race has struggled to find any new sponsorship leaving the race in financial limbo. "From my perspective, when I'm out in the UK training on British roads, participation levels are higher than I've ever seen before. Friends and family all follow cycling more than they ever have. At a grassroots level, I think there are more and more clubs that are busy," Deignan explains. "All I can say is that I'm disappointed and surprised that we can't sustain more races in the UK."