Lizzie Deignan has postponed her retirement in order to pursue a double championship, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the Flanders World Championships. The British rider and former world champion has no plans to stop racing in the immediate future. [Her focus was on last year's Yorkshire World Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed this summer due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with the British press ahead of the World Championships in Imola, Deignan said he had narrowed his sights to next year's World Championships in Flanders and the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

If Deignan wins both titles, it would be the first time since Marianne Foss won the world title in Valkenburg and Olympic gold in London in 2012. Prior to that, her compatriot Nicole Cook won the world title in Varese in 2008 and the Olympic gold medal in Beijing.

"I never thought about how unique this combination would be together, but you're right. Nicole has done phenomenal and we haven't seen anything like this since Marianne Bos won the World and Olympic titles in 2012. I think we have two chances to win the World Championships this year and Flanders next year. Tokyo and Flanders are my goals," said Dignan.

Deignan currently leads the Women's World Tour after winning back-to-back Tour de France victories in 2020 at the Pruy GP and La Course. At the Imola World Championships on Saturday, she finished sixth in a sprint from a select chase group after nearly crossing over the steepest climb of the race, the highest climb of the race, as Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) rode solo to win the race.

Degnan said there was less pressure in Imola this year than in Yorkshire last year, when she finished 31st trying to chase winner Annemiek van Fruten.

"I think we are in a different place physically. I think last year I ran under a lot of pressure," Deignan said of the road world championships.

"Tactically it wasn't very smart. I spent too much time at the front trying to chase Annemiek van Grooten. This year I don't feel the race is on my shoulders."

A sixth-place finish in Imola bodes well for Degnan's goal of changing his calendar this fall. Next up is Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, followed by the Ardennes Classic. Then on October 18, she will compete in the Tour de Flanders, which she won in 2016, and the first women's Paris-Roubaix on October 25.

ASO has released the route details for the women's Paris-Roubaix, a 116-km race that will start in Denain and include 17 pavé sections before finishing at the Roubaix Velodrome. [We are delighted that such an event is being held in a year of pandemics [a global pandemic]. It symbolizes the direction of women's cycling," Dignan said. [It's easy to use the pandemic as an excuse, but it's not. The course itself will be brutal. I haven't seen it in person yet, just heard crazy stories. I'm excited to be a part of it."

Asked if the cobblestones would suit her, Dignan said, "I don't know. I hope so. I'm a pretty lightweight athlete, so it might not be to my advantage."

Dignan was considering retiring after the 2020 season, following the expiration of her two-year contract with Trek Segafredo for 2019 and 2020. At that time, she committed to two seasons of racing, with the Yorkshire World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics as her main goals. However, she has no intention of retiring and plans to continue racing, especially now that she is back on top.

"It's an interesting one, and maybe I should stop talking about retirement. 'I always had it in mind that Tokyo [2020] would be my retirement race, but life changes and you move on. I have a family now, and being away from cycling has completely renewed my love for the sport, and I don't think Tokyo [postponed to 2021] is the goal anymore.

Dignan said that her return to the sport after childbirth and experiencing the rapid growth of women's cycling has also given her the motivation to continue. She also appreciates the opportunity to continue her career as a world-class athlete while being a mother and supporting her family financially.

"The growth of women's cycling, the opportunities I have now, I am in a great position to support my family from being a bike rider. I completely understand and appreciate how fortunate I am to be in the profession that I am in," Dignan said.

"Being a mother has made me much more relaxed than before. Being away from cycling has allowed me to rediscover my love for the sport and how lucky I am to do this job. If I had taken another job as a pregnant woman, my maternity leave would have been completely different and my time now with my daughter would be completely different. Perhaps it is only as an adult that I have realized how fortunate I am.

"I always think it's funny when people say, 'I'm doing this for my daughter and son. Aura doesn't know or care what I do. What I want to convey as a woman is that there are no boundaries or limitations. I want them to grow up in a home where their work is not dictated by their gender."

Her dream of winning a world title in her home county of Yorkshire did not come true last year, but she will have the opportunity to challenge at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and the first unified discipline UCI World Championships in Glasgow in 2023.

"Without a doubt, I will have a tough decision to make as to when I will retire as an athlete. There is a possibility that Glasgow will again host the World Championships and there are many events that will keep you going, but there are many important aspects to that decision."

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