Pooley Storms to Silver in Time Trial

Olympic Games Women's Time Trial
Wednesday 13 August 2008

Links:  Brian's Blog - Women's TT | Pre-Games Interview with Emma

Emma on her way to a Silver medal. Pictures Phil O'Connor.

There was a superb performance and a silver medal for GB's Emma Pooley in the Women's Time Trial, behind Kristin Armstrong of the USA. It was GB's first ever medal in a Road Time Trial at the Olympics and a result which caught many experts off-guard.

Pooley is an emerging talent, who at the age of 25 has rocketed into the world's elite during a stunning 12 months. Top tens in both the Road Race and Time Trial at last year's hilly world championships in Stuttgart in Germany marked her all-round talent and was a hint of what she could do.

The elite women have less opportunity to display their Time Trial talents than their male counterparts, so Pooley's ride was certainly not widely expected. Her recent win in the Tour of Brittany included a Time Trial stage win, but even eighth in her debut at the worlds in Stuttgart last year - on a hilly course which suited her, much as the Olympic course has - didn't fully suggest the talents she displayed in a ride which was most remarkable for its confidence and pacing.

Left: Emma with her Silver medal. Right, Nicole Cooke. Pictures Phil O'Connor.

Climbing with a remarkably easy rhythm and the high cadence of a rider supremely comfortable when the road goes upwards, Pooley looked the part right from the start of her ride and she belied her lack of experience with very well paced ride. It was clear that she was on a ride, but when she came in almost two minutes clear of the four preceding riders it became clear that she had produced a potentially medal-winning ride, but there was a long way to go.

Hiding behind a huge pair of dark glasses in the GB easy-up tent, Pooley looked cool and collected as she waited for the remaining riders to come in. As rider after rider staggered over the line well outside her time there was a growing realisation that the emerging British rider had produced the ride of her short career at the highest level.

As the event moved towards its climax, the 10km split time showed Pooley in the lead, with no-one seriously challenging her except for Armstrong of the USA, who was just three seconds down. It was all to be decided in the closing few kilometres, a testing descent and that now familiar closing climb to the finish where the road race produced such drama.

As she came into view close to the finish, Armstrong caught Oenone Wood, the Commonwealth Games Champion in the closing half a kilometre and that was the moment that we realised that Pooley had probably lost the gold medal. Armstrong, riding in an upright style with a very smooth and high cadence looked remarkably like namesake and compatriot Lance, who was such an expert against the clock. She used her size and power to claw herself ahead of Pooley on the final descent and that blasted up the final climb to line.

And at the line she did indeed slip inside the time of Pooley, but a medal was now a certainty for Emma and as the last rider world champion Kupfernagle of Germany crossed the line it was confirmed to be a silver. Karin Thurig of Switzerland claimed the bronze.

Nicole Cooke produced a typically 100% ride, but never really settled into a pace which would threaten the medals. Her job had been done during that phenomenal gold medal winning ride in the road race, but it didn't stop her putting in a huge effort which saw her almost collapse when dismounting from her machine. Also worth a mention was the fourth place of the legendary Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli of France at the age of 50.

Nicole Cooke, Dave Brailsford and Emma Pooley. Pictures Phil O'Connor.

Talking afterwards, Emma Pooley explained to the BBC

"In the road race, I was doing my job. Today, I just concentrated on riding as fast as I could, being absolutely smooth and enjoying myself without anyone to push me off. It helps being positive-nervous, because you've been waiting four years for this. I was enjoying going fast. It was pretty fun, I just kept saying, 'faster faster.' I raced as well as I could. I cannot affect what others do. There's no secret, you just have to make it hurt. Imagine a friend sitting on your wheel, shouting at you."

Analysing Pooley's ride, the GB Team's Chris Boardman said that the Olympic Time Trial had been identified as a "unique opportunity" for Pooley, with its climbing profile unprecedented in recent Olympic Games. "It's very unusual to get a climb like this" said the former Olympic Pursuit champion.. Boardman went on to reveal a little of the special support work the team has put into what he dubbed "Project Pooley" including providing her with a special bike enabling her to achieve a compact position for the tuck position on the course's long downhill, something Emma's diminutive stature made difficult to achieve on propriety bikes. Chris concluded by adding that the medal, though not a "long-shot" was nonetheless a "bonus" for the cycling team.

Results

1 Kristin Armstrong (USA) 0.34.51
2 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 0.35.16
3 Karin Thurig (Switzerland) 0.35.50
4 Jeannie Longo-ciprelli (France) 0.35.52
5 Christine Thorburn (USA) 0.35.54
6 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0.35.59
7 Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden) 0.36.20
8 Christiane Soeder (Austria) 0.36.20
9 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 0.36.27
10 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan) 0.36.29
11 Emma Johansson (Sweden) 0.36.33
12 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) 0.36.35
13 Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) 0.36.37
14 Linda Melanie Villumsen Serup (Denmark) 0.36.50
15 Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 0.36.57
16 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) 0.37.14
17 Min Gao (China) 0.37.15
18 Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Netherlands) 0.37.51
19 Marta Vilajosana (Spain) 0.37.54
20 Oenone Wood (Australia) 0.38.53
21 Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) 0.38.55
22 Natalia Boyarskaya (Russia) 0.38.55
23 Alexandra Wrubleski (Canada) 0.39.15
24 Lang Meng (China) 0.40.51
25 Maryline Salvetat (France) 0

Split times at 10.8km
1 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 0.20.46
2 Kristin Armstrong (USA) 0.20.47
3 Jeannie Longo-ciprelli (France) 0.21.12
4 Karin Thurig (Switzerland) 0.21.22
5 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0.21.46
6 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 0.21.47
7 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan) 0.21.48
8 Natalia Boyarskaya (Russia) 0.21.51
9 Min Gao (China) 0.22.08
10 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) 0.22.16
11 Maryline Salvetat (France) 0.22.33
12 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) 0.22.36
13 Emma Johansson (Sweden) 0.23.04
14 Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) 0.23.04
15 Alexandra Wrubleski (Canada) 0.23.36
16 Lang Meng (China) 0.24.53