As stage 1 of the UAE Tour Women 2025 began in Dubai, Lizzie Deignan admitted it was an emotional moment after 18 years as a professional rider. Deignan will retire at the end of the 2025 season, after a 'last dance' season with Lidl-Trek as a mentor and domestique.
"It's the start of the end," Deignan told Cyclingnews at the start line.
"It does feel good; I am really happy with my decision and I'm determined to make it a fun and successful year."
Despite her emotional smile, there was no shying away from the fact that this is the end of era.
"I'm a bit emotional actually, it's like oh, gosh, this is it," said Deignan.
"I race well when I'm emotional, I'm not someone who needs to be too focused, I try to feel the pressure and feel the feelings, and then I perform better."
Deginan spoke at length about her decision to retire and her race plans for 2025 in this interview with Cyclingnews.
In her final season Deignan (Lidl-Trek) is set to ride a busy schedule including the returning Milan-San Remo, the Vuelta España Femenina and the Tour de France Femmes.
She has won 43 races during her long career, including the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond in 2015. Deignan is the only rider to have won all three Monuments in women's cycling. She won the Tour of Flanders in 2016, Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2020 and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021.
Deignan was one of the first riders to become a mother and then return to successful racing and has always fought for the development of women's cycling. She is a role model to many in the peloton.
For her final year, Deignan will ride as a valued domestique for her team, a stark change from being a team leader.
"It's really nice, it's very different," she said.
"I started out in this role, I made my way up to being a leader and now I'm making my way back down the ladder. I think team cycling is a sport and I know I'm still really valuable and I can help the other women try and win races so that's really cool."
As she herself puts it, Deignan has come full circle.
"Just like a bike wheel, how poetic," she said.
