Deignan wins women's Tour de Yorkshire

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Lizzie Deignan (Boels Dolmans) delighted home crowds in Harrogate when she soloed across the finish line at the Tour de Yorkshire on Saturday. The Otley-born rider won the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire by nearly a minute off the back of a late race attack and brilliant team tactics.

Behind Deignan, Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) emerged from a nine-rider chase group to take best of the rest in front of 2010-2011 road world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-High5).

It’s been 10 months since Deignan last stood atop podium (save team time trial wins) at the Aviva Women’s Tour where she parlayed a stage win into overall victory. She was Lizzie Armitstead then, yet to marry Team Sky professional cyclist Phil Deignan, and the world champion. It was before the missed test fiasco and a failed bid for Rio Olympic gold.

“It was really special for me to finish here and feel so much support,” said Deignan. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a victory. It’s been a tough year. To crown it like this, to move on and to move on with local support was very special.”

Deignan finished second behind teammate Anna van der Breggen in each of the three Ardennes classics. Early season illness hampered her preparation and fitness, but it was clear that a return to top form was imminent for the 2015 road world champion. It was no surprise then when Deignan’s teammates began to launch attacks from kilometre zero.

“The plan was to get someone in the breakaway – we had Amy Pieters there – and for me and Anna to bridge on the main climb,” explained Deignan. “Hopefully we’d have a small group in the finish.”

There was no small group at the finish. There was only Deignan.

As planned, Deignan and Van der Breggen had bridged across to a breakaway of 10 on Côte de Lofthouse. By the time the race reached the top of the 1.7-kilometre climb, only eight riders remained out front. With Deignan, Pieters and Van der Breggen amongst the group, Boels-Dolmans once again had the numerical advantage.

Deignan attacked on one of the many rises that dotted the 122-kilometre course. Her acceleration saw a leading trio emerge: Deignan, Van der Breggen and Cylance Cycling’s Dani King. With 46 kilometres still to race, the leaders had nearly two minutes on a select chase group in their wake.

Van der Breggen did the lion’s share of the work amongst the leaders, but both Deignan and King took pulls. Deignan repeatedly tested King with digs on the course’s steepest sections. King repeatedly proved capable of responding. Shortly after the second intermediate sprint point in Ripton, Deignan lifted the pace again and distanced not King but Van der Breggen.

Although Van der Breggen was able to claw her way back, a chink in the Boels-Dolmans armour may have proved worrisome to Deignan. Rather than wait for the finish, Deignan made her move with 14 kilometres still to race.

“I went on instinct,” she explained. “I saw a moment where it was good to go and didn’t look back.

“I’m not used to going solo, particularly from such a long breakaway,” Deignan added. “It was really difficult.”

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