OTLEY'S cycling superstar Lizzie Deignan won the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, but she will not be defending her crown this week. The 29-year-old is due to give birth in September to her first child and is ruled out of competition for the time being.

However, as well as being excited at the prospect of starting a family with her husband, fellow cyclist Phillip, she cannot wait to return to the road, and is targeting a comeback to cycling in 2019.

Deignan began her career showing great promise in the shorter form of the sport, winning gold in the team pursuit at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Poland.

However, soon after, she began to switch her focus solely towards road events and she picked up a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Deignan burst into the national conscience two years later by earning Britain's first medal at the 2012 London Olympics, a silver in the road race.

In 2014, she secured Commonwealth gold in Glasgow, and proceeded to to finish first overall in the UCI Women's Road World Cup in the same year.

The following season saw her become just the fourth British woman in history to win the road race world title and she has followed that up with victories in the Aviva Women's Tour and the Tour de Yorkshire over the last couple of years.

Deignan is looking ahead now though, and speaking to NATHAN ATKINSON, she talked about her personal targets for the future, and discussed what the cyclists who are competing in the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire can expect in this week's race.

YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT LEARNING FROM OTHER ATHLETES WHO HAVE COME BACK FROM PREGNANCY AND RETURNED TO THEIR SPORTS. HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ANY OTHER CYCLISTS ON THE TOUR ABOUT WHAT THEY DID AFTER THEY GAVE BIRTH?

There's so many examples of women that have come back to professional sport and done really well. From a physical perspective, I know that it's possible. I think obviously the challenge will be taking care of the baby and how me and my husband manage that but we're both really excited and motivated by that challenge.

ARE YOU ABLE TO DO LIGHT TRAINING BEFORE SEPTEMBER, OR IS IT A CASE OF SITTING TIGHT AND WAITING FOR BABY DEIGNAN TO ARRIVE?

(laughs) No, I'm still training. I'm still able to do three hours or so on the bike. I feel really comfortable and really healthy. The baby's happy so it's all good at the moment.

ARE YOU LOOKING AT MAKING THE 2019 TOUR DE YORKSHIRE YOUR COMEBACK RACE?

Well that would be the dream scenario wouldn't it? But I think we'll play it by ear for the moment. I think the Road World Championships (which take place in Yorkshire in September 2019) is a more realistic goal for me. At the moment that will be the goal for next season. But where exactly I make my comeback I'm not sure yet.

LOOKING AT THE THIS YEAR'S TOUR, YOU'VE BEEN THERE AND WON IT BEFORE. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THE OTHER RIDERS? PARTICULARLY NOW THAT THERE IS THAT SECOND STAGE?

I think the point is that, in Yorkshire, the terrain and the weather is so unpredictable. You could turn around the corner and there could be a massive headwind and a gale or any sort of weather coming at you! You have to be ready for anything really.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER RIDERS IN THE REGION THAT WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE 2018 TOUR DE YORKSHIRE?

Yeah, there's loads of really strong women in Yorkshire at the moment. Annie Simpson's a great rider. She's been on the circuit for a while now and she's riding for Drops cycling team. They've got a really strong team and they're improving year on year. They're a team to watch out for certainly.

IT'S BEEN ANNOUNCED THAT THE FIRST STAGE OF THE 2019 UCI ROAD WORLD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IS GOING TO BE HELD IN BRADFORD. HOW EXCITING IS THAT FOR THE AREA?

I think it's huge for the area. It's really important that every city gets a piece of it. Yorkshire isn't just Harrogate, it's so many other communities surrounding it. If we can showcase the whole of the region and the diversity and different aspects of each town then that's really good.

FINALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE AMBASSADOR FOR THE CYCLE EXPO YORKSHIRE IN HARROGATE IN OCTOBER. IS IT NICE TO STILL BE INVOLVED IN CYCLING EVEN THOUGH YOU WON'T ACTUALLY BE BACK RIDING THEN?

Yeah, the Cycle Expo Yorkshire is going to be a huge event. It is going to offer the community something really exciting to get behind. It's a place where there's going to be bike races, family events, products being showcased. It's going to be all things cycling and it's not to be missed that's for sure.