Lizzie Deignan and Katy Marchant backed for Paris glory on Olympic return

Lizzie Deignan rides in the women’s road race at a fourth Olympics on Sunday.

The 35-year-old from Otley won a silver medal on The Mall at London 2012 and has already made two comebacks from childbirth to be in a position to challenge for glory once again.

And Katy Marchant, an individual sprint bronze medallist on the track in Rio, gave birth to her son two years ago but returns in the form of her life.

That is the verdict of Joanna Rowsell, a former team-mate of both women from their British Cycling days, who will be roadside on Sunday to see Deignan in action and at the velodrome on Monday to see if Marchant can start a week in which she is entered in three events with another medal.

Rowsell retired in 2017 to pursue other interests after winning gold medals in the team pursuit in London and Rio.

But at 35, the same as Deignan and four years older than Marchant, she is in awe at the longevity and insatiable appetite for competition of these two Yorkshire mums.

“It’s stunning for any athlete to go to go four Olympic Games,” Rowsell told The Yorkshire Post about Deignan’s career.

“First and foremost that needs celebrating, that shows the longevity of her career.

“Being a road rider she can base herself wherever she wants within Europe, and she has such a status in women’s road racing that she can dictate her programme to an extent.

“She just seems to enjoy her job, she enjoys the role. She’s moved towards more of a mentoring role within her team.

“For Katy, it’s a different situation coming back after motherhood because she’s very much part of a team in Manchester. There’s a coach, strength and conditioning, all of that, there’s not much flexibility when you’re part of a track squad, you have to be in the velodrome every day following a programme, but she is in the form of her life.

“I am absolutely stunned with how well she has progressed.

“As soon as she took the pregnancy test and found out she was pregnant, immediately she said ‘I’m going to Paris’, and that was the full focus.”

And Rowsell is not expecting these Yorkshire veterans to be merely in Paris to make up the numbers.

Deignan’s challenge is a little more difficult given the number of intangibles in a road race, particularly one when the teams are so small.

But that could play into the hands of the wily old warrior of the British squad, for whom being a lone wolf has often been a characteristic of her career.

“I don’t know whether she’ll be a favourite in this race, I’m looking to Pfeiffer Georgi for the British team,” said Rowsell.

“But Lizzie has a real knack for performing on the day, at the big ones, when it counts.

“She had a really strong ride at last year’s world championships - she didn’t medal, but she was up there again.

“If I was a team manager looking at the startlist on the women’s road race, I probably wouldn’t highlight Lizzie as a big threat, but I think she could pull something off.

“She has the experience, she performs well on these big stages. The Olympic road race is like no other road race anybody ever rides - it’s small teams, small peloton, still a long distance, it’s completely obscure race for so many reasons and you often get something strange happen.

“We had a real surprise winner last Games with Anna, so very much high hopes for Lizzie.”

Marchant could have three attempts at a gold medal, with the individual sprint and keirin to come later in the second week and the team sprint, which they were silver medallists in at the European Championships earlier this year.

“I’m really excited for her individually,” said Rowsell.

“She’s a brilliant P1 rider (position one) in the sprint.

“Despite getting a silver recently, I think with the trajectory they are on they are favourites for gold and Katy is a key part of that, so I’m looking forward to seeing that team.

“Katy being the elder member of that squad, she’s that mother figure of the group, which is strange to say.

“After not qualifying for Rio or Tokyo, it’s not historically been a good event but I have high hopes for them there.”

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