'It's a key indicator the sport is still progressing': Deignan happy with 'dynamic' Tour de France Femmes route
The Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner said the race will likely be won by a 'complete rider'

Lizzie Deignan says the 2022 Tour de France Femmes route is a "key indicator that the sport is still progressing".
Deignan (Trek-Segafredo), who finished her season at the Women's Tour at the start of October, was full of praise for the first women's Tour de France since 1989.
The route includes a lot of mixed terrain, including a start in Paris on the same day as the final stage of the men's race, along with a day on gravel roads and two mountain stages in the Vosges mountain region during the final two days. The last stage finishing atop the Super Planche des Belles Filles.
In a report by The Telegraph, Deignan said: "It is a key indicator that the sport is still progressing as we are now able to compete in the most well-known bike race in the world.
"Each stage is dynamic, different and interesting. There are so many challenges thrown into just eight days of racing!"
No time trial means that the race ought to be tight, with the first-ever women's Paris-Roubaix winner expecting the race lead to change multiple times over the eight days of racing.
"The inclusion of a stage with gravel sectors will mean it’s likely to be a complete rider who wins the Tour de France Femmes – but I expect the first yellow jersey to go to a sprinter, but then also to change hands many times along the way which will be exciting for the fans."
The race, unlike the men's edition, has a title sponsor in the form of indoor fitness platform Zwift, adding funds to a race that will be shown in 170 countries, 20 fewer than the men's race.
"The goal is to organise a race that will stay, that will still exist in 100 years, that I can watch when I'm old and using a walker," added Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.
The race begins on July 24 and finishes eight days later on July 31 in 2022.
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
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