British Cycling has paid tribute to Lizzie Deignan MBE who today announced her intention to hang up her wheels and retire from professional cycling at the end of the 2025 season, calling time on an impressive 20-year career with the Great Britain Cycling Team.
Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, Stephen Park CBE said:
“Lizzie is one of Britain’s most decorated and influential cyclists and will be remembered for a boundary-pushing career of iconic cycling moments. Whether it’s representing her country at the highest level or performing at the forefront of the women’s pro peloton, Lizzie has done it all.
“With the Great Britain Cycling Team, we’ve seen her win iconic rainbow jerseys on both the road and track, as well as a sensational silver medal at the London Olympic Games and we will all be supporting her over the coming months, as she completes what will be her 18th season in the pro peloton.
“What stands out most in Lizzie is her impact across the entire women’s peloton, and the work she’s done to pave the way for many young riders. Her iconic performances on the bike and advocacy for women‘s sport off the bike have inspired many, and she has been cited as the direct inspiration for many of the young women coming up through the GBCT pathway.
“Professional and driven, Lizzie has been an asset to GBCT over the years and it has been a joy to see the pride she radiates when putting on a GB jersey – qualities we aim to instill in every single member of our squad. Lizzie’s legacy in the sport cannot be underestimated and we wish her the best of luck in her final season and onto the next stage of her career.”
On announcing her retirement, Deignan reflected: “I feel really fortunate that I’m stepping away still very much in love with the sport. I love cycling and all the things it’s given me and I certainly won’t be one of those people who never looks at a bike again, I really want to stay involved. Women’s cycling is on an upward trajectory and I’ve been a part of that. I feel I have some expertise in that area and I’d be crazy not to try and share that with the next generation.
On her fondest memories on the bike, Deignan said: “Without a doubt London 2012 was an incredible experience as both a person and athlete. To live through a home Games and become GB’s first Olympic medallist, sharing that with everyone from teammates to the owner of the corner shop, it just felt so big in our country and being at the forefront of that was really special.
“Winning the world title was a dream come true and to have those rainbow stripes for the rest of my life, nothing compares. Looking to the next season, results are less the priority but if a young rider turns to me and says ‘thank you for helping me’ I can be really happy with that.”
Having been spotted in 2004 by British Cycling’s Olympic Talent Team at school, Deignan's trajectory as a young rider was exponential, winning a scratch race silver medal at the 2005 Junior Track World Championships less than a year later.
This kicked off a stellar career on the track, which saw her amass several medal successes for Great Britain, most notably five elite world championship medals including the 2009 team pursuit world title alongside Joanna Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel.
After moving her focus to the road, Deignan won the 2008 under-23 National Road Race Championships before taking a silver medal in the road race at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games; a feat she would better in Glasgow in 2014 where she claimed the victory.
By 2012, Deignan had amassed several professional wins, including two of the spring classics as she built that year’s campaign around the London 2012 Olympic Games. It was here that she cemented her place in British cycling history, delivering one of the sport’s most iconic moments winning a silver medal on the Mall in the women's road race, becoming the first Briton to win a medal at those Games.
Following London 2012, Deignan’s career went from strength to strength, with wins at the Women’s Tour in 2016 and 2019, and an inspirational season in 2021, where she won the first ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes. Having already picked up victories at the 2016 Tour of Flanders and the 2020 Liege-Bastone-Liege, Deignan is the only woman to have won the ‘triple crown’ of all women’s Monument classics.
Representing Great Britain, Deignan went on to win the 2015 road race world title in Richmond, Virginia, USA in spectacular style, becoming only the fourth British woman ever to win the title. She also represented Team GB at the summer Olympics in three further Games, the most recent being Paris 2024.
Deignan has also been crowned the national road race champion four times, with the final win being in 2017, as well as finishing third in this year’s race. In the 2023 New Years Honours list, Deignan was appointed as MBE for services to cycling.
Outside of cycling, Lizzie has been a trailblazer for women and mothers in sport, having given birth to her two children in September 2018 and 2022, returning to the pro peloton in time for the spring season on both occasions.
