Ireland’s Philip Deignan of Team Sky on the front of the breakaway at Tour de Yorkshire 2015 (Photo: Gauthier Demouveaux)
One of Ireland’s very best riders of the modern era, former Team Sky member Philip Deignan is upping his post-retirement involvement in cycling and doing so with another well known ex-professional, his wife Lizzie Deignan.
A legend of British sport, Lizzie Deignan is a former elite world road race champion and won most of the major classics, from Paris-Roubaix to the Tour of Flanders, Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The duo are based in Britain and are now raising their children after hanging up their racing wheels. While they have already been coaching riders, the husband and wife duo are getting more serious about coaching, now that Lizzie has retired, and have launched their new business, Deignan Performance.
They are offering tailored coaching packages for riders and they say what sets them apart is their collaborative methodology; the best of both going into getting the most out of all the riders they coach.
“With each athlete’s permission, Philip and Lizzie work together on rider programs, combining their different perspectives to develop the optimal approach for each individual,” the company said.
“This dual-coach system ensures that every athlete benefits from both Philip’s technical coaching expertise and Lizzie’s invaluable insights into the mental, tactical, and lifestyle aspects of achieving peak performance.
“Lizzie’s experience as a mentor within the Lidl-Trek team during the final years of her career adds another dimension to our service. She understands the complete athlete journey – from managing training stress and recovery to navigating the psychological challenges of competition and career development.”
Philip (42) is from Donegal and during his career rode for Team Sky for five years as well as RadioShack, Cervelo Test Team and AG2R La Mondiale. He retired in 2008 after a 14-year career, during which he won a stage at La Vuelta as well as Tour du Doubs and the general classification at Tour of the Gila, Ronde de l’Isard and Le Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc.
Lizzie was a trail blazer during her career, with highlights including the Olympic road race silver medal in London 2012. Her return to the top level after giving birth to her first child is seen has having brought about a significant change in the sport, as maternity leave was unheard of for female riders.