Lizzie Deignan will return to competition at Amstel Gold Race on April 21 in the Netherlands, Trek-Segafredo announced on Tuesday. The news marks an early return to the peloton for Deignan, who took time off after giving birth to her daughter and was tentatively scheduled to start racing in June.
“I cannot wait to join the team and get back to racing,” Deignan said in a statement released by the team. “I’m really excited about being back in the team environment and really appreciate the support everyone at Trek and Trek-Segafredo has given me so far, enabling me to come back in my own time. I’m really pleased with my progress on the bike since having Orla last September and feel ready to rejoin the peloton.”
Deignan will line up at the following races over the next weeks: Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of California Women’s Race.
“I couldn’t miss the opportunity to race in Europe before the end of the Classics season and then look forward to heading back to race on home roads in the Tour de Yorkshire the following week,” Deignan said.
“It’s also fitting that the course for Yorkshire goes along some of the route that will be used for the World Championships this September which remains my main goal for the year as I would dearly love to win back the rainbow bands in front of a home crowd.”
Trek announced last July that it would be creating a UCI women’s team that would compete in WorldTour events next season. Deignan was one of their first hires. She joined the team after competing with Boels-Dolmans for six seasons. She took a leave from the sport during the pregnancy and birth of her first child but had planned to start racing in June with Trek-Segafredo.
“Personally, I am stoked to have Lizzie back with the team as of next week and I can tell that everybody in the team is feeling the same way, both riders and staff,” said director Ina-Yoko Teutenberg.
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“I followed Lizzie’s preparations in the last months, and I am confident that she will come back at a good level. The team is already very solid, and I am sure that adding Lizzie to the line-up will give the whole team an extra boost. So, yes, we are all very much looking forward to next week!”
