GB’S Worlds strategy

Former champion team leader for Worlds despite recent surgery

The bosses of British Cycling are confident Lizzie Deignan still represents one of Team GB’S best chances of taking home a rainbow jersey at this week’s World Championships despite having surgery to remove her appendix at the end of August.

Deignan, who won the GP de Plouay just four days before having her operation, will still likely enter the women’s World Championship road race as team leader, according to BC performance director Stephen Park.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Park said: “That appendicitis has clearly brought some apprehension about how she will be able to deliver but ultimately we believe she is in good enough form and, more importantly, she believes she is in good enough form. With the tenacious attitude she has you wouldn’t bet against her.”

Park added that Deignan had been continuing to build up her training over the last week as she recovered from surgery.

“She doesn’t want to race unless she can give a good account of herself,” he said. “We’ll look over the course of this week at how the training is going, is it [form] coming back? Do you think you’ll be in a good position? But those questions are as much coming from her as they are from BC.

“We believe we’ve got trust in those key riders to make the right call and she knows there’s others that could take up that place.”

The GB women’s team also contains Hannah Barnes, Dani King and Elinor Barker, who have all had good performances this season and could potentially step in to fill the gap if Deignan isn't able to maintain her form.

Park said: “If they’re all on form perhaps the women’s road race could be one of our strongest events. Others might think she [Deignan] might be a bit off her form and that might actually play to her advantage.”

Meanwhile in the men’s road race, Park said he expected the team, which has a lot of talented riders but none of the favourites, to start without a lone leader and that who the team ride for could be decided on the morning of the race or out on the road.

“I don’t think they’ll be a million miles away from the favourites,” he said.