As stage 1 of the UAE Tour Women 2025 began in Dubai, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lizzie Deignan admitted it was an emotional moment after 18 years as a professional rider. Deignan will retire at the end of the 2025 season, after a 'last dance' season with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lidl-Trek as a mentor and domestique.
"It's the start of the end," Deignan told Cyclingnews at the start line.
"It does feel good; I am really happy with my decision and I'm determined to make it a fun and successful y🌺ear."
Despite her emoti🌱onal smile, there was no shying away from the fact that this is the end of era.
"I'm a bit emotional actuaꦜlly, it's like oh, gosh, this is it," said Deignan.
"I race well when I'm emotional, I'm not someon💝e who needs to be too focuse꧅d, I try to feel the pressure and feel the feelings, and then I perform better."
Deginan spoke at length about her decision to retire and her race plans for 2025 in this 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:interview with Cyclingnews.
In her final season Deignan (Lidl-Trek) is set to ride a busy schedule including the returning Milan-San Remo, the Vuelta España Femenina and the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France Femmes.
She has won 43 races during her long car💦eer, including the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond in 2015. Deignan is the only rider to have won all three Monuments in women's cycling. She won the Tour of Flanders i♕n 2016, Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2020 and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021.
Deignan was one of the first riders to become a mother and then return to suc🌠cessful racing and has always fought for the development of women's cycling. She is a role model to many in the peloton.
For her final year, D♐eig🏅nan will ride as a valued domestique for her team, a stark change from being a team leader.
"It's really nice, it's💝 very different," 🙈she said.
"I started out in this role, I made🐬 my way up to being a leader and now I'm making my way back down the ladder. I think team cycling is a sport and I know I'm still really valuable and I can help the other women try and win races so that's really cool."
As she herself puts it, Deignan𝔍 has come full circle.
"Just like a bike wheel, how poetic," she said.&⛦nbsp;
