In a remarkable career in road and track cycling, Lizzie Deignan, formerly Lizzie Armitstead, has proven herself to be one of the finest cyclists in the history of the sport. Lizzie enjoyed major success at junior level winning the National Junior Track Championships points race in 2005 and finished second in 2006. The same year she won the National Criterium Championships, and then again in 2007. She then enjoyed a similarly impressive rise to the top level of senior cycling.
After forming part of the road race team that helped Nicole Cooke to road race gold at the 2008 World Cycling Championships, Lizzie was eager to leave her own mark on road cycling. She did so, winning the youth classification at the Giro d'Italia and a silver medal at the British National Road Race Championships. Meanwhile, she was making inroads in track cycling too. In just her second appearance in the competition, Lizzie won a gold medal as part of the Team Pursuit at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She would follow this up with two gold medals at the 2009-10 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics and two silver medals at the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
Arguably Lizzie's biggest moment was yet to come, or at least her most memorable. Her performances won her a place in Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games. After a strong build-up to the tournament featuring two gold medals, Lizzie participated in the road race in pursuit of a medal. It was a damp day in Surrey and Armitstead committed to a gutsy breakaway to finish the road race with a silver medal to earn Britain's first medal of London 2012 Olympic Games. As a result, Lizzie became an overnight sensation and kicked off what was to become known as The Girls Games. In 2023, Lizzie was appointed MBE for Services to Cycling in the 2023 New Years Honours List.
Lizzie Armitstead has formed a reputation as an exceptional sports speaker, able to specifically delve into her success as an Olympian. A pioneer in sports success in cycling and among women, Lizzie Armitstead is a popular addition to all events.
