Lizzie Deignan was a last-minute addition to Lidl-Trek's roster for the upcoming La Vuelta Femenina after the medical team gave her the green light to compete in the eight-day race four weeks after sustaining a broken arm in a crash at the Tour of Flanders.
“I’m happy to have recovered in time for the Vuelta; I’m really looking forward to it and getting the first stage race of my season under my belt. It was obviously disappointing to crash out of Flanders, and I definitely missed racing the remaining Classics," Deignan said.
"However, everything has gone really smoothly since, and my recovery has maybe been better than we even expected, so it’s great to be in a position to be able to resume racing already."
Lidl-Trek confirmed to Cyclingnews last week that Deignan's recovery was going well and that she had started training indoors but that her participation at La Vuelta Femenina was still uncertain.
However, the team announced the roster on Thursday, which included Deignan, Elisa Longo Borghini, Ellen van Dijk, Amanda Spratt, Elynor Backstedt, Brodie Chapman, and Gaia Realini.
La Vuelta Femenina will be held from from April 28 to May 5, and Deignan confirmed that she will use the stage race to help rebuild her form and prepare for other targets later in the summer.
"In terms of my expectations for the race, it will firstly be to get through the eight days safely and to be stronger at the end than I am at the beginning," Deignan said.
"To be at the start line in a team role is really nice and it’s a good chance to build my form as it means I can get loads of work done, and that’s what I need."
Lidl-Trek had a strong early-season racing campaign, which saw Elisa Balsamo secure four wins with two stages at Setmana Valenciana, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and Brugge-De Panne. Also, during the Spring Classics, Elisa Longo Borghini took three wins, including the Tour of Flanders and Brabantse Pijl, while Van Dijk won stages at Vuelta Extremadura Féminas and Tour de Normandie.
"Overall, we have a really strong group of women racing and I think it's going to be a good chance for us to keep the momentum we built in the Spring Classics going and to get some more results," Deignan said.
