Britain’s Lizzie Deignan won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in Belgium on Sunday to claim her first ever ‘monument’ – the pre-eminent races in one-day cycling.
Deignan made a solo break with 24km left to open up a minute’s lead.
Australian Grace Brown produced a late counter-attack to get within 10 seconds, but Deignan held on for her third victory since the season resumed.
The 31-year-old Trek-Segafredo rider said having the “perfect team” was key to ending her wait to win a ‘monument’.
“It’s really special,” said Deignan, who adds the title to her recent victories in the GP Plouay and La Course.
“We were almost there so many times but this is a Trek-Segafredo win.”
Dutch riders had won each of the three races since the event’s inauguration in 2017, with two victories for Anna van der Breggen (2017 and 2018) and one for defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who finished 28th on Sunday.
Deignan, who finished second behind Van Der Breggen in 2017, said she “raced on instinct”.
“In this team we’re allowed to race on instinct and not to fear failure,” she added.
“I knew I needed to be over the Redoute ahead of Anna [Van der Breggen] and Annemiek [van Vleuten].”
