LONDON (AFP) — Lizzie Deignan said local knowledge gave her the confidence to ignore team orders as she won the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire in northern England on Saturday.
Former world champion Deignan, born in the Yorkshire town of Otley, attacked with 13.5 kilometers left in the 112.5km stage from Tadcaster to Harrogate but only after contravening an instruction from her Boels-Dolmans team to wait for a sprint finish.
Deignan was rewarded for pushing on, eventually winning by 55 seconds from Coryn Rivera (Sunweb).
Earlier, Deignan and teammate Anna van der Breggen, the Olympic and European champion, had been out in front before the pack started to close on the duo.
“The chasing group was coming pretty close and my race director said, ‘Wait for the sprint Lizzie, you’re coming back.’ But I thought, ‘No, I’m not waiting for the sprint, I know the roads better than you and it’s not coming back,'” Deignan said.
In the end, Deignan was left out in front on her own and this allowed her to soak up the applause in the closing kilometer. “It’s special and surreal,” she said.
“I still can’t get my head around how many people came out to support us.”
Results
- 1. Elizabeth DEIGNAN, BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM, in 3:09:36
- 2. Coryn RIVERA, TEAM SUNWEB, at :55
- 3. Giorgia BRONZINI, WIGGLE HIGH5, at :55
- 4. Amy PIETERS, BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM, at :55
- 5. Hannah BARNES, CANYON SRAM RACING, at :55
- 6. Katrine AALERUD, HITEC PRODUCTS, at :59
- 7. Sheyla GUTIERREZ RUIZ, CYLANCE CYCLING, at :59
- 8. Shara GILLOW, FDJ, at :59
- 9. Roxane KNETEMANN, FDJ, at :59
- 10. Dani KING, CYLANCE CYCLING, at :59
- 11. Saartje VANDENBROUCKE, LARES – WAOWDEALS WOMEN CYCLING TEAM, at :59
- 12. Anna CHRISTIAN, DROPS, at 1:07
- 13. Claudia LICHTENBERG, WIGGLE HIGH5, at 1:23
- 14. Juliette LABOUS, TEAM SUNWEB, at 1:33
- 15. Audrey CORDON RAGOT, WIGGLE HIGH5, at 1:56
- 16. Ellen VAN DIJK, TEAM SUNWEB, at 1:56
- 17. Anna VAN DER BREGGEN, BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM, at 1:59
- 18. Rozanne SLIK, TEAM SUNWEB, at 7:45
- 19. Alice BARNES, DROPS, at 7:45
- 20. Alison JACKSON, BEPINK COGEAS, at 7:45
- 21. Rebecca DURRELL, DROPS, at 7:45
- 22. Anisha VEKEMANS, ALE CIPOLLINI, at 7:45
- 23. Emilie MOBERG, HITEC PRODUCTS, at 7:45
- 24. Floortje MACKAIJ, TEAM SUNWEB, at 7:45
- 25. Eileen ROE, TEAM WNT PRO CYCLING, at 7:45
- 26. Elizabeth BANKS, at 7:45
- 27. Neah EVANS, at 7:45
- 28. Gabriella SHAW, TEAM WNT PRO CYCLING, at 7:45
- 29. Monique VAN DE REE, LARES – WAOWDEALS WOMEN CYCLING TEAM, at 7:45
- 30. Henrietta COLBORNE, at 7:45
- 31. Tiffany CROMWELL, CANYON SRAM RACING, at 7:45
- 32. Annabel SIMPSON, DROPS, at 7:45
- 33. Jennifer GEORGE, at 7:45
- 34. Laura MASSEY, DROPS, at 7:45
- 35. Alexis RYAN, CANYON SRAM RACING, at 7:45
- 36. Chanel MASON, at 7:45
- 37. Alice SHARPE, at 7:45
- 38. Katia RAGUSA, BEPINK COGEAS, at 7:45
- 39. Jennifer POWELL, at 7:45
- 40. Abby-Mae PARKINSON, DROPS, at 7:45
- 41. Eugénie DUVAL, FDJ, at 7:45
- 42. Soraya PALADIN, ALE CIPOLLINI, at 7:45
- 43. Eri YONAMINE, FDJ, at 7:45
- 44. Rossella RATTO, CYLANCE CYCLING, at 7:45
- 45. Kirsten WILD, CYLANCE CYCLING, at 7:45
- 46. Nikki BRAMMEIER, BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM, at 7:56
- 47. Emilia FAHLIN, WIGGLE HIGH5, at 8:04
- 48. Chantal BLAAK, BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM, at 8:06
- 49. Anna TREVISI, ALE CIPOLLINI, at 8:06
- 50. Jolien D’HOORE, WIGGLE HIGH5, at 8:06
- 51. Marta BASTIANELLI, ALE CIPOLLINI, at 8:06
- 52. Amy GORNALL, at 8:12
- 53. Romy KASPER, ALE CIPOLLINI, at 8:12
- 54. Elizabeth-Jane HARRIS, at 8:18
- 55. Fiona HUNTER-JOHNSTON, at 8:18
- 56. Aude BIANNIC, FDJ, at 8:41
- 57. Roxane FOURNIER, FDJ, at 8:41
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