Lizzie Deignan announced that she will be taking a break from racing in September to become a mom for the second time. Trek-Segafredo has extended her contract to 2024, so the Paris-Roubaix winner can return in 2023.
Deignan posted via Trek-Segafredo a photo of Orla, her first child. She was excited to share that she is expecting a second child with Phil and I.
Orla was born to Deignan in 2019. She then returned to professional cycling and won The Women’s Tour her first year. She became the first woman to win Paris-Roubaix in 2021.
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“Of course, having a baby was a huge decision. But it wasn’t difficult for us. Deignan stated that they have always wanted a large family and now is the right time to have another.
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“Orla is ready to have a sibling. I feel like I’m well-prepared and capable in my career to take the next step and have the opportunity to have another child. Everything fell into place behind the scenes. It was great to have a stable team and where we live. It was an emotional decision, but it was logical to expand our family. “
Deignan will not race in 2022, but plans to continue racing with Trek-Segafredo in 2023 and 2024.
“I feel like I have a lot to offer from an athletic perspective.” Deignan stated that it was obvious to him that if we had another child, he would still cycle.
“I didn’t expect to be able to continue my career after having two pregnancies. But there are so many successful women returning the sport, especially older women. I don’t believe that the old stereotype of athletes retiring at age 30 is true.
“After having my baby and then returning to the sport, it was a very rewarding experience. It can be very demanding for your body. It’s not necessarily limiting. That was something I discovered after having Orla, and it helped me make the decision to return after another child.
“It’s not the stuff, it’s the balance between family and work that can be difficult. But I think we are at the point now, three year after Orla was born, where we know what to do and feel that we can do more. And that’s something we really enjoy. “
Deignan joined Trek-Segafredo during her first pregnancy in 2018. The team gave her all their support and confirmed her place in the team for 2023.
“It’s been quite an emotionally charged experience. Deignan stated that Trek was supportive of my pregnancy after I spoke with them.
“I told Ina, my Sports Director first, and she immediately replied, “That’s f***ing amazing, congratulations!” It was a great compliment. That support was so important to me personally. Although I am a professional cyclist on a professional team of riders, the support felt very personal to me and I’m so grateful. “
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Stephen Farrand
European Editor
Stephen is the most knowledgeable member of the Cyclingnews team. He has been covering professional cycling since 1994. Since 2012, he has been the European editor. He previously worked for Reuters and Shift Active Media.
