OTLEY'S Lizzie Deignan soloed to a popular victory in the women's Tour de Yorkshire in Harrogate.

The former world champion attacked out of the breakaway with a little under 14 kilometres left of the 122.5km stage from Tadcaster, and steadily increased her lead to finish 55 seconds clear of a chasing pack led home by Coryn Rivera of Team Sunweb.

Deignan had used the day's only categorised climb, the Cote de Lofthouse, to race clear of the main pack alongside Boels Dolmans team-mate Anna van der Breggen, and only Cylance's Dani King could stick with them until Deignan's decisive attack.

King had helped power the early break into an advantage of around 90 seconds as they approached the climb, but behind Boels Dolmans were working hard to bring it back and they peeled 20 seconds off that lead before the road ramped up.

As soon as the gradients hit, Deignan and Van der Breggen went off the front of the peloton, and by the summit they were only 16 seconds behind what was left of the break with the race splitting into pieces behind them.

As they powered clear, only King could stay with them as Sunweb and Wiggle High5 teamed up behind to form a determined chase.

A lead that had been nearing two minutes for the front trio dropped to a little over a minute with 30km to go, but it stabilised before Deignan made her move 13.5km from home.

King battled gamely but soon dropped back as Deignan soloed home to popular acclaim from the huge crowds gathered in Harrogate.

Giorgia Bronzini of the British-registered Wiggle High5 team came home in third, with British national champion Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM) fifth and King making it home in 10th.