Lizzie Deignan is looking forward to the opportunity to be a leader and a supportive teammate in her fourth season with Trek Segafredo. [She has raced in support roles for riders such as Elisa Longo Borghini and Ellen van Dijk.

"I get to go racing, work for my teammates, and completely empty myself. I don't have the pressure of having to win on my shoulders, so I don't have to fear failure."

"You can push through the pain barrier in a way you can't when you're trying to win on your own. When you're about to be dropped in a climb, you think, 'Oh my God, I'm going to be dropped. Just climb as deep as you can, as long as you can.'"

In a strong team like Trek-Segafredo, where multiple athletes can be leaders in any given race, the key to functioning team strength is open communication, according to Dignan.

"Be honest with each other. It's okay to have clashing goals, and it's okay if someone says in a team meeting that they want to win at Amstel Gold. I think there's room for more than one leader, and it's important to communicate that early on so there are no hidden agendas or surprises."

Trek-Segafredo acknowledged Tuesday that Deignan is a candidate for next season's Tour de France femme team, but she recognizes that her ambitions are balanced by those of her teammates.

"The Tour de France is very big, but it depends on the team dynamics and expectations of me. I want to know what the team wants before I say, 'The Tour de France is a big goal. It could be a big goal, it could be Elisa's or Ellen's goal, and I need to be aligned with that."

"So I need to choose where I'm going for myself and where I need to be a good teammate. I still need to have those conversations."

Team plans and goals for each player have yet to be formalized, but Deignan has his sights set on the Spring Classic.

"I want to focus on the Amstel Gold and the Ardennes Classics. I haven't won in Amstel yet, so it would be nice to accomplish that."