Our break from WorldTour racing started with a variety of national championships that saw some old favorites take victories and some new riders achieve a feat that every cyclist dreams of.
I think I speak for most when I say thank goodness we don't have to witness another person in the Italian national champ's jersey. Not that there aren't other deserving riders, but Elisa Longo Borghini is Italy, in women's cycling at least.
One of the winners I was most excited about was Amalie Dideriksen for Denmark. The former world champion is one of those human gems and hasn't had the easiest go since leaving SD Worx-Protime (then Boels-Dolmans) in 2020. Another exciting one was Lieke Nooijen in the Netherlands. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has had a few standout performances this year, including third at Dwars door Vlaanderen after that awesome attack, so to see her take this victory was great.
What isn't Lizzie Deignan up to?
Former world champ, winner of the first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes, and all-around badass Lizzie Deignan announced on Friday that she has added one more hat to her post-racing collection.
Since retiring mid-way through the 2025 season she has been slowly picking up gigs and packing her non-racing resume. Lizzie already started coaching alongside her husband Phil for their joint businss Deignan Performance (if you listen to the podcast you will know they are coaching me to take on Mont Ventoux in a few weeks). She is the race organizer for the Otley Grand Prix in the U.K., which is set to take place Wednesday of this week. On the side, she co-hosts the For the Love of Cycling podcast with Ned Boulting, David Millar, and Pete Kennaugh. And perhaps the most impressive title she holds is mother. She gave birth to her third child in March.
As of this weekend the word is out that Deignan will add directing to her plate. Lizzie is going to be working with British Cycling as a DS for the road team with an eye on more success ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028.
"I’m excited about the opportunity to work with a strong and talented group of riders; I believe we’re one of the strongest road nations in the world. It’s been over 10 years since my world title so it’s time for us to step into our potential and deliver more rainbow jerseys!" she said in a British Cycling press release.
She was already spotted in the car at road nationals over the weekend.
Lizzie joins British Cycling when the national federation is stumbling to keep up with the likes of France, Belgium, and Canada (at least on the road side). They opted not to send anyone for the women's elite road race to the World Championships in Rwanda, a decision that means they have fewer points heading into Olympic qualification next year.
GB has a long list of emerging talent, from Cat Ferguson, Carys Lloyd, Zoe Bäckstedt, and Lauren Dickson to experienced riders like Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson. Lizzie will be a huge asset to carry the program forward and tap into the potential of those riders on the world stage while representing British Cycling.
Luckily for Lizzie, our Ventoux Project will be coming to a close in roughly three weeks, which should open up her schedule quite a bit (jokes).
Racing continues...
From last week: July 1 to 5 at the Volta a Portugal (UCI 2.2). A handful of one-day races in Belgium throughout July. The Baloise Ladies Tour from July 15 to 19, where some of the big-name sprinters will no doubt make an appearance. Two 1.1s in France (La Périgord Ladies on July 18 and La Picto en Nouvelle-Aquitaine on July 19). And the Tour of Poland from July 24 to 26.
Wheel Talk podcast
This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rebecca Charlton to talk about her cancer diagnosis and the last year of her life, where she juggled motherhood, treatment, and was kept steady by the constant presence of bike racing.
It's always amazing to get Rebecca on the podcast, even though the subject wasn't what we would have expected we'd be talking about a year ago. I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Let's discuss
The highs and lows of the national championships.
Nationals are always weird. Some nations like the Netherlands and Italy are stacked with talent and the racing is wild, because most of the time teamwork is unpredictable. Every rider wants to win, so it's not normally an all-in-for-one type of situation like in standard races. Some nations have slim numbers, like Mauritius, where only five riders took to the start line.
Coming out of the weekend, there are quite a few riders who will be clearing out their trade team kit to make way for new jerseys. In some cases, it is with a smile, in others, the disappointment can be felt from where you're sitting reading this newsletter.
Did we do a good job with this story?
