'Emotional' Deignan hits the road for final home race

The 36-year-old says she has made the right decision to retire at the end of this season

- Jeremy Whittle

An emotional Lizzie Deignan will end her years racing on home roads with a farewell appearance in the four-day Tour of Britain, which begins in Dalby Forest today. "I'm really pleased the race starts in Yorkshire and finishes in Glasgow, because I've got amazing memories of my career there," she said. "I'm really excited about it."

Deignan retires at the end of this season and described herself as "incredibly emotional" about coming to the end of a career that included an Olympic silver medal at London 2012 and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow in 2014, as well as victory in the first women's Paris-Roubaix and the world road race title in 2015.

"I realise how privileged I have been to do this for a career. I just feel lucky it's my choice that it's my last time, because not every athlete gets to do that. I know it's my last one going into every race this year, and I feel like I can make the most of it. It's really liberating."