Lizzie Deignan and Tom Pidcock fly flag for Yorkshire and British Cycling at UCI Road World Championships

Yorkshire will have cyclists with realistic hopes of winning the rainbow jersey at the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders later this month in both the men’s and women’s elite races.
Lizzie Deignan. contests the UCI World Championships of 2019 into Harrogate (
Picture: Bruce Rollinson)Lizzie Deignan. contests the UCI World Championships of 2019 into Harrogate (
Picture: Bruce Rollinson)
Lizzie Deignan. contests the UCI World Championships of 2019 into Harrogate ( Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

Tom Pidcock and Lizzie Deignan already have rainbow jerseys in their wardrobe, of course; Pidcock from the numerous cyclo-cross and mountain bike world titles he has claimed over the last few years, and Deignan for winning the road world crown in Richmond, Virginia, back in 2015.

Six years, a baby and two Olympic Games have past since that crowning moment for Deignan, who even at age 32 remains Britain’s best hope.

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Mark Cavendish will fancy his chances of winning a second world title 10 years after his first given the summer of renaissance he enjoyed on the Tour de France.

Leeds' Tom Pidcock won gold in the junior men's individual time-trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway. (Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)Leeds' Tom Pidcock won gold in the junior men's individual time-trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway. (Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)
Leeds' Tom Pidcock won gold in the junior men's individual time-trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway. (Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

Pidcock has arguably had as good a summer as Cavendish, the 22-year-old from Leeds marking his first year a senior pro on the road with a gold medal in the Olympic mountain bike event and the completion of his first grand tour at the Vuelta Espana just last week.

They will be joined in the men’s elite race by South Yorkshire’s Swift cousins, Connor and Ben, the 2018 and 2019 British road race champions, respectively.

Sam Watson of Leeds will also compete in the Under-23s men’s road race.

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Performance Director Stephen Park said: “It will be great to see the likes of Mark and Lizzie bring their form and experience into a team keen to do the jersey proud and bring back medals.

“It will be interesting to see how the elite men’s road race plays out, too – we’ve made the decision not to go with one team leader, giving us a number of options as the race plays out.”

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