Lizzie Deignan
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Elizabeth Mary Deignan (née Armitstead; born 18 December 1988) is an English professional world champion track and road racing cyclist. She was the 2015 World road race champion and is, as of March 2017, the reigning Commonwealth road race champion. Deignan is also twice winner of the season-long UCI Women's Road World Cup, winning the overall competition in 2014 and the final edition in 2015. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Armitstead won the silver medal in the road race. She has won the British National Road Race Championships four times, in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Prior to her road career Armitstead won a total of five medals at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2009 and 2010, including a gold medal in team pursuit in 2009 with Joanna Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel.
Early life
Armitstead was born in the market town of Otley in West Yorkshire,[2] where she attended Prince Henry's Grammar School, a state comprehensive school. She took up cycling in 2004 after British Cycling's Olympic Talent Team visited the school.[3][4] She is a graduate of British Cycling's Olympic Podium Programme. Armitstead has been a vegetarian since the age of ten.[5]
Career
2005–2009: Track years
Armitstead won a silver medal in the scratch race at the Junior World Track Championships in 2005, she was under-23 European Scratch Race Champion in 2007 and 2008, and came second in the Points Race in 2007.
Armitstead was a member of the gold medal winning team pursuit squad at the 2009 Track World Championships, her second appearance at a senior world championship event. She also competed in the scratch race, where despite being brought down in the closing stages of the race, jumped back on to claim the silver medal. She completed the championships with a full set of medals, winning bronze in the points race whilst riding with her right wrist numb and strapped up — she was only able to move her forefinger and thumb.
2009–2011: Move to road
In 2009, Armitstead joined the Lotto-Belisol cycling team and rode a number of top level road races. She won the under 23 category of the British National Road Race Championships and the silver medal in the senior category after some controversy.[6][7] In 2010, she rode for Cervélo TestTeam.[8] Armitstead decided to stay with the franchise in its new formation as Garmin–Cervélo throughout 2011.[9]
2012
Following the discontinuation of the Garmin Cervélo women's team, Armitstead rode for the AA Drink-Leontien.nl team in 2012.[10] Armitstead built the whole of her campaign around the summer Olympics, where she would go on to win the silver medal in the road race at the 2012 Summer Olympics, behind Marianne Vos, in so becoming the first Briton to win a medal at the 2012 Games.[11]
2013
Having had to move teams in the past two seasons due to teams disbanding, Armitstead signed for the Boels Dolmans Cycling Team for the 2013 season.[12][13] Her 2013 season was affected by a recurring stomach illness which was eventually diagnosed as a symptom of a hiatus hernia.[14] Even with her well documented medical concerns Armitstead emerged victorious at the British National Road Race championships – claiming her second white, red and blue jersey.[15]
2014
In April 2014 it was announced that Armitstead had renewed her contract with Boels Dolmans until the end of 2016.[16] Armitstead enjoyed a career-best year, starting with a win at the Omloop van het Hageland. A week later she also won the first World Cup race of the season, the Ronde van Drenthe, after team mate Ellen van Dijk closed a significant gap for her in the final kilometres of the race.[17] At the third World Cup race, the Tour of Flanders, she finished second behind Ellen van Dijk. Armitstead took part in the inaugural 2014 La Course by Le Tour de France in Paris on 27 July 2014, but crashed with 1 km to the finish.[18] A week later she won the women's road race at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[19] Armitstead, overhauled Emma Pooley with 7 km to go to win her first major gold medal.[20] Armitstead won the UCI Women's Road World Cup with a race to spare on 24 August 2014.[21] An 8th-place finish in the Open de Suede Vargarda was enough to secure the overall title.[22]
2015
For the 2015 season Armitstead stated again her intention to build towards the UCI Road World Championships. Armitstead claimed the first overall win of her career taking the Ladies Tour of Qatar stage race, as well as winning two stages. Armitstead then went on to take victories at the one day World Cup races Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, along with the Boels Rental Hills Classic.
In June, Armitstead was forced to pull out of the Aviva Women's Tour after colliding with a group of photographers seconds after winning the first stage of the tour in Suffolk.[23] However, ten days later she had recovered sufficiently to win convincingly the British National Road Race Championships for the third time[24] taking her to the top of the UCI world rankings.[25] In August, she sprinted to victory in the final World Cup race of the season, the GP de Plouay, to retain her World Cup title ahead of her main challenger, Anna van der Breggen.[26]
To cap her best season to date, on 26 September, Armitstead won the World Championships road race in Richmond, Virginia, USA, beating van der Breggen in a sprint from a small group of nine riders at the finish line, becoming the fourth British woman to win the world road race title after Beryl Burton, Mandy Jones and Nicole Cooke.[27]
2016
Armitstead's stated aim for the 2016 season was the road race at the 2016 Olympic Games[28] Armitstead started the season as she had finished off the previous one, securing a number of one day race wins, as well as an General classification victory, breaking any curse of the rainbow jersey. Armitstead took four victories in the inaugural UCI Women's World Tour; Strade Bianche,[29][30] Trofeo Alfredo Binda,[31][32] Tour of Flanders[33] and the overall title at The Women's Tour of Britain.[34][35]
Armitstead also took victories in the Boels Rental Hills Classic[36][37] and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.[38]
Missed drugs tests
In 2016, Armitstead avoided a ban from cycling that would have prevented her from competing in the 2016 Olympic Games. The charges against her were that she missed three drugs tests within a 12-month period (20 August 2015, 5 October 2015 and 9 June 2016), an offence that could have led to a four-year ban. However, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport Armitstead argued that the first missed test was not a fault of her own but rather that of the testing authorities. She accepted the other two instances. The CAS agreed with her on the first count, and it was declared not to have been a missed test, clearing her to compete.[39] The decision has drawn criticism from various quarters.[40]
In a 5 August 2016 interview, she said she believes that people will doubt her status as a clean sportsperson forever.[41] World squash champion James Willstrop wrote in defence of Armitstead, arguing that the complexity of testing procedures can easily lead to missed tests and noting that she had 16 clean tests in 2016.[42]
Personal life
Armitstead married fellow professional road racing cyclist Philip Deignan in Otley on 17 September 2016.[43]
Major results
Road
- 2006
- 1st
National Criterium Championships - 1st WCRA Criterium Championships
- 2007
- 1st National Criterium Championships
- 2009
- 1st Road race, National Under–23 Road Championships
- 1st
Young rider classification Giro d'Italia Femminile - 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 3rd Overall Tour de l'Ardèche
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Stage 6
- 1st
- 2010
- 1st Road race, National Under–23 Road Championships
- Tour de l'Ardèche
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stages 3, 4 & 5
- 1st
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de l'Aude
- 1st Stage 6 La Route de France
- 2nd
Road race, Commonwealth Games - 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 9th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 2011
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 6
- 1st
- 1st Stage 1 Tour of Chongming Island
- 2nd Tour of Chongming Island World Cup
- 7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 2012
- 1st Omloop van het Hageland
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 2nd
Road race, Summer Olympics - 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 2013
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 2nd Ridderronde Maastricht
- 3rd Overall Holland Ladies Tour
- 1st
Sprints classification - 1st
Combination classification
- 1st
-
Combativity award Stage 2 Energiewacht Tour - 2014
- 1st
Overall UCI Women's Road World Cup - 1st
Road race, Commonwealth Games - 1st Omloop van het Hageland
- 1st Ronde van Drenthe World Cup
- 1st Otley Grand Prix
- 2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 1
- 1st
- 2nd Trofeo Alfredo Binda
- 2nd Tour of Flanders
- 2nd La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
- 2nd Emakumeen Saria
- 3rd Drentse 8
- 3rd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 3rd RideLondon Grand Prix
- 7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 2015
- 1st Overall UCI Women's Road World Cup
- 1st
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 1st
Overall Ladies Tour of Qatar
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Stages 3 & 4
- 1st
- 1st Trofeo Alfredo Binda
- 1st Boels Rental Hills Classic
- 1st The Philadelphia Cycling Classic
- 1st GP de Plouay
- 1st Stage 1 The Women's Tour
- 2nd Strade Bianche
- 3rd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 2016
- UCI Road World Championships
- 1st Team time trial
- 4th Road race
- 1st
- 1st Overall The Women's Tour
- 1st
Best British rider classification - 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 1st Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 1st Strade Bianche
- 1st Trofeo Alfredo Binda
- 1st Tour of Flanders
- 1st Boels Rental Hills Classic
- 5th Road race, Olympic Games
- 2017
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 1st Tour de Yorkshire
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Giro Rosa
- 2nd La Course by Le Tour de France
- 2nd Amstel Gold Race
- 2nd La Flèche Wallonne
- 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes
- 3rd Strade Bianche
Track
- 2005
- National Junior Track Championships
- 1st Points race
- 2nd 500m TT
- 3rd
Scratch race
- 1st
- 2nd Scratch race, UCI Junior Track World Championships
- 2006
- 2nd Scratch race, National Track Championships
- National Junior Track Championships
- 2nd Points race
- 2nd Individual pursuit
- 3rd Scratch race
- 3rd 500m TT
- 2nd
- 2007
- UEC European Under–23 Track Championships
- 1st
Scratch race - 2nd Points race
- 1st
- 2008
- UEC European Under–23 Track Championships
- 1st Scratch race
- 1st Team pursuit
- 2nd Points race
- 1st
- UCI Track World Cup
- 1st Points race – Manchester
- 1st Scratch race – Manchester
- 1st Team pursuit – Manchester
- 1st Scratch race – Melbourne
- 1st Team pursuit – Melbourne
- 1st
- 2009
- UCI Track World Championships
- 1st Team pursuit
- 2nd Scratch race
- 3rd Points race
- 1st
- 08–09 UCI Track World Cup
- 1st Scratch race – Copenhagen
- 1st Team pursuit – Copenhagen
- 1st
- 09–10 UCI Track World Cup
- 1st Team pursuit – Manchester
- 1st Points race – Manchester
- 1st
- 2010
- UCI Track World Championships
- 2nd Team pursuit
- 2nd Omnium
- 2nd
- 2011
- National Track Championships
- 1st Points race
- 1st Scratch race
- 1st
- 2015
- Revolution Series
- 1st Points race – Manchester (Round 3)
- 1st Points race – Glasgow (Round 4)
- 3rd Scratch Race – Round 4, Glasgow
Classics results timeline
| Classics results timeline | |||||||||
| Classic | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strade Bianche | Did not exist | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Ronde van Drenthe | — | — | 10 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 7 | DNF | — |
| Gent–Wevelgem | Did not exist | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | — | ||
| Trofeo Alfredo Binda | — | — | — | — | DNF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 39 |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | 34 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 17 |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | — | — | — | 10 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Amstel Gold Race | Last run 2003 | 2 | |||||||
| La Flèche Wallonne | 22 | — | 47 | — | 12 | 2 | 21 | 28 | 2 |
| Liege–Bastogne–Liege | Did not exist | 2 | |||||||
| GP de Plouay | 20 | 49 | 17 | — | 24 | 8 | 1 | 66 | |
| Open de Suède Vårgårda | — | — | 14 | — | DNF | 8 | 19 | 62 | |
- – = Did not start
- DNF = Did not finish
References
- 1 2 "Lizzie Armitstead". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Sport & Leisure Network. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ↑ "My favourite place to ride in the UK would definitely be Yorkshire! In and around my home town of Otley". cycleplan.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ↑ Feekins, Steve (19 January 2012). "London Olympic hopefuls: Lizzie Armitstead". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armistead only took up cycling to get out of maths, claims PE teacher". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Fotheringham, William (29 July 2012). "London 2012: Lizzie Armitstead flowers in the rain with quick silver". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ↑ Richardson, Simon; Cleverly, Ian (27 June 2009). "Cooke wins 10th national title". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Sport & Leisure Network. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Richardson, Simon. "Cookson overrules to reinstate Armitstead". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Sport & Leisure Network. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ "Armistead signs with Cervélo". Cycling News. mmediate Media Company. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Armitstead, Lizzie (15 September 2010). "Team axe was a shock but we had fitting finale". ThisisLondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Armitstead, Lizzie (12 January 2012). "Kids taught me a lesson on my return to school". ThisisLondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Slater, Matt (29 July 2012). "Lizzie Armitstead wins Olympic Silver Medal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Atkins, Ben (28 September 2012). "Lizzie Armitstead leads host of new signings at Dolmans-Boels". Velonation.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ↑ Croydon, Emily (23 January 2013). "Lizzie Armitstead questions if new teams will change women's cycling". BBC Sport.
- ↑ Armitstead, Lizzie (24 October 2013). "Lizzie Armitstead blog: I've finally got to the bottom of the stomach illness that has blighted my 2013 season". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead solos to win National Road Race Championships in Glasgow". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Sport & Leisure Network. 23 June 2013.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead Renews with Boels Dolmans". Cycling News. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ↑ "Help from van Dijk elevates Armitstead". Yorkshire Post. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead crashes out of La Course by Le Tour as Marianne Vos sprints to victory in Paris". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Commonwealth Games: Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley win road race gold and silver". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Glasgow 2014: Lizzie Armitstead & Emma Pooley win gold and silver". BBC Sport. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead wins Women’s World Cup". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Sport & Leisure Network. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead wins 2014 UCI Women’s Road World Cup". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Armitstead out of Women's Tour after crashing into photographers". BBC Sport. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ↑ "Peter Kennaugh, Lizzie Armitstead win British road race titles". BBC Sport. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead: best in the world". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead retains Road World Cup with win in France". BBC Sport. 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Fotheringham, William (26 September 2015). "Lizzie Armitstead claims gold to become world road champion". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead building 2016 season around Olympic Games - Cyclingnews.com".
- ↑ "Strade Bianche Women 2016: Results - Cyclingnews.com".
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead wins women's Strade Bianche - Cycling Weekly". 5 March 2016.
- ↑ "Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio 2016: Results - Cyclingnews.com".
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead wins Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Cycling Weekly". 20 March 2016.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead wins women's Tour of Flanders - Cycling Weekly". 3 April 2016.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead wins The Women's Tour".
- ↑ "Women's Tour: Lizzie Armitstead wins race for first time".
- ↑ "Boels Rental Hills Classic 2016: Results - Cyclingnews.com".
- ↑ http://www.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/10296458/lizzie-armitstead-wins-boels-rental-hills-classic-for-second-time
- ↑ "News: Armitstead wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - velouk.net".
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead faced four-year ban after three 'missed' drugs tests". road.cc. 2 August 2016.
- ↑ "Lizzie Armitstead’s Olympic reprieve questioned by fellow athletes". The Guardian. 2 August 2016.
- ↑ "Rio 2016: Lizzie Armitstead says people will doubt her forever".
- ↑ Willstrop, J. (18 August 2016). "People should understand how drug tests work before they condemn athletes". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ↑ Jack, Jim (19 September 2016). "Crowds cheer on Lizzie Armitstead as she marries fellow cyclist Philip Deignan". Wharfedale Observer.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lizzie Armitstead. |
- Rider biography British Cycling
- Profile MTC (management company)
- Lizzie Deignan at Cycling Archives
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