Latest star rider announced as Tour de Yorkshire countdown begins
With 50 days to go until the region gets in gear for the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, Lizzie Deignan has been announced as the latest star rider to join the line-up.
Deignan (née Armitstead) will return to her home county for the Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire on April 29, which will see the world’s best riders tackling a tough 122.5km route from Tadcaster to Harrogate.
The 2015 world champion revealed she got goose-bumps when she lined up for last year’s race in her native Otley. The 28-year-old finished on the same time as eventual winner Kirsten Wild after her brave late attack was cancelled out by the peloton.
Deignan – who will compete with her Dutch-registered Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team squad – is hoping to improve on her 26th-placed finish this time around, and the course could suit her with the testing Côte de Lofthouse climb coming at the halfway point in the race.
She said: “I’m really excited to be riding the Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire again and am looking forward to being back on home turf.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of racing between now and then, but I hope to be there in good form and able to make my mark on the race.
“It’s a more challenging route this year and that’s one of the great things about the Tour de Yorkshire, that we’re able to compete on the exact same roads as the men.”
Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity said: “Lizzie is one of Yorkshire’s top cycling talents and we’re thrilled that she’ll be taking part in the race.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’re able to attract the world’s best cyclists due to the unique benefits our race can offer.
“It’s rare that female riders get to compete on the same course as their male equivalents, and almost unprecedented that their races are broadcast in their entirety like this one will be on ITV4. Thanks to our great sponsors we’re able to offer a prize pot of £50,000 as well, which makes the Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire one of the most lucrative in the sport.”
