Ride London Classique: Britain's Lizzie Deignan says races harder to win in Olympic year

Races will be "harder than ever to win" in 2024 because it is an Olympic year, says Lizzie Deignan.

The Briton, 35, is attempting to return to the top of the podium 18 months after the birth of her second child.

"My prep has gone well. I had a solid winter [of training] and my foundation is better than last year," she said.

"I'm feeling good and I'm happy with my team, and we're doing everything we can, and we'll keep trying and I'm sure we'll come away with a win soon."

Lidl-Trek's Deignan - who has won some of cycling's most prestigious races - is in the final year of her current contract after returning in 2023 following a year off in 2022.

Last year was the first in which Deignan has failed to win a race as a professional cyclist. In 2015 she won the road world champions jersey, and in 2021 the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes, both of which form part of an impressive palmares.

Speaking at the rider announcement of this year's Ride London - Britain's only World Tour event, which takes place from 24-26 May - she added: "It's an Olympic year - everyone raises their game so it's harder than ever to win [any race].

"It was a confidence boost to be back at the sharp end last year.

"My son was only seven months old at the time and I had a really hard winter and the introduction in the Ardennes back to racing was incredibly difficult - sometimes you think: 'Have I still got it?"

Ride London starts with a race from Saffron Waldon to Colchester and is followed by a circuit that starts and finishes in Maldon on the Essex coast. The final stage consists of eight circuits in central London.

Some of the best riders on the peloton will be appearing, including last year's world road race champion and Tour de France Femmes runner-up Lotte Kopecky of Belgium.

Last year's winner Charlotte Kool of France also takes part for the DSM-Firmenich Post NL team.

Kool won Stages 1 and 3 in 2023, sprinting to success in Colchester and on The Mall in London.

Kopecky's Dutch SD Worx team-mate Lorena Wiebes will also take part, having won the race in 2022. Wiebes is still widely considered the sport's best sprinter.

"The fact the two best sprinters in world are there makes it interesting for the rest of us.

"Hopefully they watch each other and we can sneak off and get some of those seconds on the climbs.

"I love the design of the courses - they are really dynamic. Everyone sends their best sprinter to Ride London - true sprinters get to sprint together on the iconic Mall.

"But there's a lot more to it than that - it offers a rider like me a lot of opportunity to surprise. The roads are typically British in that they are grippy and that lends itself to aggressive racing, which is what I like."

Race director, Scott Sunderland, added: "The sprinting on show will be of the highest order and this could be the fastest edition of the race ever."