Lizzie Deignan, who had been contemplating retirement after the 2020 season, said she will continue racing until the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed to 2021.

"I have motivation and optimism until the 2021 Olympics," she told the PA news agency. 'It will be a very special Games.'

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it has decided to postpone the Tokyo Olympics in the face of health concerns and risks surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Deignan announced in March 2017 that she was expecting her first child. Shortly after that announcement, the newly launched Trek Segafredo welcomed her to the team while she was still six months pregnant, effectively paying her salary while she was on leave. They agreed to a two-year term so she could focus on the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She opened the 2019 season at the Ardennes Classic and won the overall OVO Energy Women's Tour. At the World Championships in Harrogate, she finished the season in 31st place.

She set her sights on the Ardennes Classic this spring in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, but public health concerns over the coronavirus caused all Women's World Tour races from March through June to be canceled or postponed.

She had indicated that she would retire at the end of her two-year term in 2020, but decided to continue racing, hoping to compete in the Spring 2021 Classic race and the delayed Olympics.

"I love the Spring Classics, that's why I am a cyclist.

"Since having my daughter, I have only raced 21 days, but I have trained a lot. I'm not happy that this will be the end of my season and that I won't be able to race in the spring anymore."