Lizzie Armitstead: 'It was a goose-pimple moment' at the Tour de Yorkshire
World champion Lizzie Armitstead returns home to Yorkshire but misses out at the women's race from Otley to Doncaster
Lizzie Armitstead has said it was "a goose-pimple moment" to line up as world champion in her home town of Otley for the Tour de Yorkshire women's race.
Although the 27 year-old didn't win the race - that honour and the £15,000 prize for first place went to Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild (Hitec-Products) after a bunch sprint in Doncaster - Armitstead spoke of the joy of racing on her home roads in the rainbow jersey.
"The start was brilliant, I loved the start. I had a couple of bike problems early in the race, so that wasn’t ideal, but it was a goose-pimple moment to be able to be supported by my community," she said. "The cycling community is just massive now in Yorkshire and I just felt really proud."
Armitstead enlivened the race with an attack just after the short climb of Conisbrough Castle with 36km however her three-strong group was reeled in with less than five kilometres to go. her teammate for Great Britain Alice Barnes sprinted to fourth on the line.
"It was worth just giving it a go," she said. "I wouldn’t have bet on me in the sprint so I thought, let’s just make it an interesting race."
"When I saw it [the gap] go from a minute down to 30 seconds very quickly I knew it was over, and then I was a case of dragging them out behind, hoping one of our girls would be sheltered and having an easy ride to the finish."
Watch: Highlights of the 2016 Women's Tour de Yorkshire
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Despite technical issues with a broadcast aircraft meaning no live coverage of the race could be shown, Armitstead added that she hoped the event would prove to be a springboard for a bigger and better things.
"You mean you didn’t see my attack?" she said when told of the lack of TV pictures.
"The people on the streets saw us at least and hopefully we can have inspired some of those girls and boys on the side of the road. It was brilliant, incredible, every corner was covered, people were shouting, so I'm very proud of everyone coming out and watching.
"In terms of organisation and crowd, there’s nothing similar on the calendar, and now we’ve had the inaugural stage I think next year the best women’s teams in the world will come and it will just grow and grow. Maybe next year I’d train a bit more specifically for it once I’ve got the Olympics out of the way."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Richard Abraham is an award-winning writer, based in New Zealand. He has reported from major sporting events including the Tour de France and Olympic Games, and is also a part-time travel guide who has delivered luxury cycle tours and events across Europe. In 2019 he was awarded Writer of the Year at the PPA Awards.
-
We rode and reviewed the Ouray, Parlee Cycles' first new bike model since facing bankruptcy
The storied American brand continues with a Portugal-made carbon steed that goes zoom but doesn’t fit like a race bike
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I don’t want to say goodbye to my kids anymore' - Lizzie Deignan to retire at end of 2025
The former world champion, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner will ride on for one more year with Lidl-Trek
By Adam Becket Published
-
Lizzie Deignan lights up Paris Olympics road race days after 'medical emergency'
Brit says she was 'really struggling today with pain' after finishing a valiant 12th
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tarling, Finucane, Pidcock and more: Eight British riders to watch out for at the Paris Olympics
The cycling events start this weekend, we’ve picked out a handful of riders to keep an eye on in the French capital this summer
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Lizzie Deignan heads up Great Britain team for Tour of Britain Women
Elynor Bäckstedt, Elinor Barker and Anna Henderson also selected for six-rider strong squad
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Four weeks after breaking arm, Lizzie Deignan set to start La Vuelta Femenina
British rider to line up at eight-stage race on Sunday, less than a month on from crash at Tour of Flanders
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I've missed races I was peaking for, but there's plenty of time to be ready': Lizzie Deignan says broken arm won't derail Olympic goals
Deignan set to lead GB team at Tour of Britain Women and target the overall win as she builds for Paris games
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I'll take time to recover then change direction': Lizzie Deignan looks to bounce back after suffering first fracture at Tour of Flanders
Deignan broke her arm during early crash in Sunday's race
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘I remember eating two pizzas and still being hungry’ - Elisa Longo Borghini on the ride that changed her
2022 Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner reflects back on her victory in the 2013 Trofeo Alfreda Binda
By Tom Thewlis Published