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image description, Lizzie Deignan has won some of the sport's biggest races
Britain's Lizzie Deignan says she was told to “get through the pain” to regain mobility after breaking her arm.
The Lidl Trek driver had a serious accident during the women's Tour of Flanders in March.
“I was told to endure some pain, especially because of the injury I sustained,” Deignan said.
The 35-year-old returned to cycling last year after a sabbatical in 2022 following the birth of her second child.
She added: “To regain full mobility I have to put more effort into straightening my arm than I would like. I have a hard time knowing what a good level of pain is.”
“So I'm figuring out my limits when it comes to the pain of a broken bone. I have never done that.”
Deignan is aiming to return to the form that helped her win some of the sport's biggest races – including La Course by Tour de France and the inaugural Paris Roubaix Femmes in 2021 – following the birth of her daughter Orla in 2018.
She is in the final year of her contract with Trek, which has started the season strong with big wins for Deignan's Italian teammates Elisa Longo Borghini and Elisa Balsamo.
But Deignan herself will want to win races again after the birth of her second child Shea – which will be seen as a major achievement in such a physically demanding sport.
“I have come back from two pregnancies so I know the process of getting fit again. It’s a matter of being patient.”
“I've never broken a bone in my life, so I didn't know what to expect. Luckily my husband.” [ex-Team Sky rider Philip Deignan] broke several. So he walked me through it,” she added.
And Deignan expects to be ready for the Women's Tour of Britain, which returns after a break last year due to funding problems.
The race – now organized by British Cycling – returns in June and former winner Deignan sees the race as not only special for her, but also a crucial time to prove her fitness for the Paris Olympics.
“I already drive the turbo on the hard tracks in the garage – the limiting factors are holding the brake levers… changing gears. I don’t have any strength in my hand yet.”
“The main problem is [now it is] During the selection period for the Olympics I missed a good portion of the races I was hoping for in terms of selection – there is actually plenty of time to compete [in Paris].
“But the choice is more difficult than ever. So this is bad timing for me.”
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