One of Britain’s most successful road cyclists, Lizzie Deignan, will retire at the end of next season.
Deignan won several of the sport’s biggest races, an Olympic silver medal at the London 2012 Games and was part of a group of top riders who fought for better salaries and conditions for female riders.
“I’m really proud of the career I’ve had. Do I feel that I can achieve anything that I haven’t already achieved? Probably not,” she told BBC Sport at her home in North Yorkshire.
“If I’m really honest with myself, I think the fire and the determination that it takes to be the best in the world is probably running short.”
The 35-year-old will take on more of a mentoring role for the final year of her contract to help her younger Lidl-Trek team-mates, adding she was “inspiring the next generation to be as good as they can be. I think I have a lot of valuable experience to give”.
A great Briton (and mum)
No regrets and a future in cycling
“It was a life-changing experience to go through something so publicly, [and] to have your character assassinated when you’ve done nothing wrong was incredibly hurtful.
“I have no regrets. Because every regret led to a lesson and there’s definitely races that I could have won that I let slip through my fingers, but that’s all part of it.”
Despite difficult times, and at the very beginning not liking cycling’s “helmets, Lycra and baffling” terminology, she sees her future in the sport.
“I know for certain that I want to stay involved in cycling because it is my passion,” said Deignan.
“I am an expert in cycling and I believe that I can still add a lot of value to the sport going forward.”
Additional reporting by Mark Ansell
