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Lizzie Armitstead interview: controversial cyclist explains pause on autobiography release

Lizzie Armitstead insists she enjoyed Rio despite the Games not going to plan, as she now concentrates on wedding planning. By Sarah Freeman

About now, Lizzie Armitstead should have been gearing up for the publication of her autobiography. A packed diary of interviews and photoshoots had been scheduled for just after her return from Rio. Her publishers no doubt hoped she would be able to pose with her second Olympic medal, quite possibly a gold.

It didn’t pan out that way. Just a few days before the opening ceremony, the 27-year-old cyclist found herself in a media storm over a series of missed drugs tests which almost left her career in tatters. While her appeal was upheld, it was hardly the perfect build up to a Games she had spent four years preparing for.

Given the distractions she did well to even be on the starting line of the women’s road race which wound 140km around some of Rio’s most spectacular scenery. However, unlike in London 2012 where she claimed Team GB’s very first medal, a defiant, tearful and clearly exhausted Armitstead could only manage fifth. It wasn’t the final chapter anyone had hoped for and the book, originally due out in September, has now been put back.

“The plan was always to write about what happened in Rio when I got back, but I guess now that final chapter is more important than ever,” says Armitstead. “I don’t want to rush it. I want it to be right and so I have decided just to give myself some more time.”

Wedding plans

She has just driven from her base in Monaco to join her sister and nieces on holiday on an Italian campsite. And her wedding to fellow professional cyclist Philip Deignan is just a few weeks away.

“It’s going to be back home in Otley,” says the proud daughter of Yorkshire. “There are still a few things to organise, but I’m not one to panic. I’m pretty laid back about things I know other brides will probably agonise about. It will just be good to be surrounded by family and friends. They have always been a huge support, particularly in the last few weeks, so it will be really nice to give them something positive.”

While this year’s Games ended in disappointment, Armitstead, forever a glass-full kind of girl, says she did bring home some good memories from Rio. “It is a beautiful city and unlike a lot of the other athletes who compete indoors I got a chance to see the place. When my race was over, like everyone at home, I was watching and cheering on every other GB athlete.

“It’s impossible not to feel good when someone gets a medal and I think the entire fortnight showed that we have now got the right training and funding system in place to give us the best chance of excelling at the highest level.

“The success of British cycling is a blueprint for all sports, because it now provides a pathway for young talent and allows them to achieve their potential.”

Armitstead is proof of that. She won her first medal at the Junior World Track Championships in 2005. Turning professional, she moved to the road in 2009 and she is the reigning World, Commonwealth and National champion.

Reflecting on the good times

“There have been so many highlights in such a short space of time,” she says. “Winning the World title has got to be up there, along with my silver in London, but there have been a hundred memorable moments. The Tour de Yorkshire is obviously a bit of a homecoming for me and getting to race through Otley in front of those huge crowds always feels like a privilege.”

This year’s race saw more than one million spectators line the route and the women’s race was also historic, with the organisers offering a first prize of £15,628 – more than the winning man got for completing the three-day event.

“When people talk of legacy from something like the Grand Depart, that’s what they mean,” says Armitstead. “Since I started in this sport, the profile of cycling in this country has changed beyond all recognition. I am proud to have played my own small part.”

With a tricky course looming at this year’s World Championships in Doha, Armitstead now has her sights on next year’s event in Norway and following the wedding it will be back to business as usual. “On a typical day I will get up, have breakfast, which is not just the most important, but also my favourite meal of the day,” says Armitstead, who has been vegetarian since the age of 10.

“After a bowl of porridge I’ll do three to five hours on the bike, come back, have lunch and possibly have a massage. After that there will be a gym session and I usually spend an hour or two answering emails before bedtime.

“Honestly, the life of a cyclist is pretty dull, but it is important that you do try to have some downtime away from the bike. It’s not something that I’m very good at, but I know that it is important to have some balance, otherwise it can become all-consuming. A lot of athletes say they get the post-Olympic blues and I can understand why, but for me it only lasts about a day. I never stay unhappy or miserable for long, I just switch focus and move on.”

Planning for the future

Even at 31, if she stays fit, Armitstead will still have every chance of getting that elusive gold at the Tokyo Olympics. But four years is a long time, with the chance of injury only ever a race or training session away.

“I tend to think in 12-month chunks, so while I haven’t thought about what I’ll do post-retirement, I probably should,” she says. “I am pretty sure once I stop racing, the competitiveness that keeps me going will disappear. I’m not sure I would have it in me to do a Victoria Pendleton and try another sport.”

For now though, Armitstead is focused on winning and making her family proud. “That’s always been my priority.”

It has undoubtedly been the toughest few months of her career, but when that autobiography does land in bookshops this November, Steadfast will have never looked like a more appropriate title.

Lizzie Armitstead is a Great Starts ambassador for Team GB cereal sponsor Kellogg’s, which is offering the chance to win a day with an Olympian. Visit the website for more details.

This article was originally published by our sister site, the Yorkshire Post

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