No Rest for Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke
Story posted September 5
By Larry Hickmott
Welsh cycling star Nicole Cooke was the British athlete that started the Gold rush at the Beijing Olympic Games and since returning to Britain, life has been manic as the young lady has been fulfilling engagements that range from a Hello! magazine photo shoot to welcome home parties in Cardiff and her village of Wick.
Her performance in Beijing in the Women’s Road Race was outstanding and gutsy and there are probably not enough superlatives to describe how special her ride was to win the Gold medal but equally, the reception she has had since returning from China has been equally amazing.
"The whole of last week was really incredible" Nicole said of the reception in an exclusive interview with British Cycling. Even over the phone, I could sense how she was lost for words at the reception she had received since winning her Gold medal.
"There have been so many great things happening that it has been difficult to take it all in” Nicole told us. “I want to savour every single moment and I am quite glad we have got the pictures and videos of it for when we have time to reflect and remember it all.”
“There have been so many highlights and seeing my family (father Tony, mother Denise and brother, Craig) for the first time after the Olympics was very very special. I could hear the excitement in their voices on the phone which was special but getting together again that was a real personal highlight.”
“The Cardiff home coming was another. When we came round the corner in the open top bus, all of the athletes gasped because none of us had ever seen so many Welsh flags being waved so much! There were so many people, the crowds were bursting out of the barriers, and that too was incredible. I really didn't expect it to be bursting with so many people like that and it gives me such a lovely feeling. It has meant such a lot to me to be back home in Wales. The Welsh flag is unique and brings back so many great memories for me.”
Village Fete
That was not the end of the celebrations either as her village of Wick turned out in their thousands to welcome the Golden Girl home. “Saturday was a whole day that was so lovely” Nicole explained. “There were so many people there I hadn't seen for ages, even people I didn't expect to be there and it was just such a lovely day.”
“The way it had been organised was not just about me but there were lots of other events going on for the children and other things in the village -- different stands with things people could make, do and find out about on the day. The whole village really came together dressed in Welsh costumes and it was so nice because the whole village has supported me and played a part in my cycling as it has developed over the years. Like people you'd see when I was going out training in the morning and they'd say hello. That too was a very special day”.
It was a far cry from the period before the Olympics when Nicole concentrated on getting herself in the best shape possible so she was ready to challenge for the Gold medal in Beijing. Nicole explained that meeting people really opened her eyes to the fact that while she was out their, focusing on her race and winning that Gold medal, people all over the world were watching and cheering her on.
“It was so nice listening to people you have never met, telling you about when they watched the race and how they felt. I may have been in my own world out there, but there were so many people with me in the race and that is very special!”
Hello! Nicole
It gets better though! Every girl likes to be pampered and Nicole had just the ticket when she was asked to do a photo shoot with Hello! magazine. "That was a really nice thing to do” she told us. “It is was nice to be pampered for a day, really lovely, and good that they were able to show that there is a person behind the cyclist.
“They had the stylists, make up artists, hair dressers and photographers -- all the people doing a brilliant job. We had such a large range of lovely things to choose from as well. There is one where I am in a check dress, a purple and black one, and in the photos, it really doesn't look me but it looks very very nice!”
“I do like doing that sort of thing because you never know what is going to happen because the stylists and make up people can do so many things with you. For the Hello! shoot we did quite a lot of different things on that day, in dresses and photos that they didn't use in the magazine but it was so much fun and glamorous. I really didn’t know what to expect so it was quite exciting too.”
Respect
Every fan of cycling knows how hard a sport it is and how difficult it is to win road races when there are so many riders capable of winning. It takes a special athlete to rise above her rivals and grab that victory. Nicole is that athlete. And, at last, if there is one thing I have seen post Olympics it’s that the people and media of Britain are now getting behind the athletes, not just the cyclists, but all of them in a way they have never before.
Nicole agreed saying “all the athletes from the Olympics, for the first time in a long while have been appreciated for what we have achieved. The reception we have had from the public, the sports fans and the non-sporting media -- they have all shown their appreciation which is great to see.”
The road Worlds
Nicole’s next big goal is the Road World Championships in Italy at the end of September where she will focus on the road race and repeating what she did in Beijing. There is very little this special young lady has not won in the world of cycling and winning the Olympics just made that list of things even smaller. In reality, there is only thing – the rainbow bands for a senior World Road title victory that has eluded her. Ever the consummate professional, Nicole is out preparing for the big day in Italy right now.
“I have been out and ridden the course twice this week and I may even go there tomorrow to get to know the course really well because that helps to prepare for the race tactically. Everything has been going well and I’m pleased with how everything is going for it.”
The race for most will be a bit of trip to get to but not for Nicole as it’s just over an hours ride away! “I only live 30 kilometres away so I can get to the start line in an hour and three minutes! Less if I go faster!” Being a local, Nicole lives just over the border in Switzerland and the Olympic Gold medallist will be having a big fan club at the race. “A lot of my friends here (Switzerland) are going to go along to watch me race. They are really excited from a spectators point of view of being able to see a really major race and see me competing in person.”
Nicole's last Road Worlds were the ones in Austria where she won the bronze. Before that, in Madrid, Nicole won Silver. The Olympic champion has proved again and again she has what it takes to win the rainbow stripes and it is just a matter of when she wins a world title -- Varese 2008 would be perfect!
Nicole has fond memories of living in Italy as well when she rode with Italian teams and says the people there, even the non-cycling fans, are very knowledgeable about the sport and get carried away when watching. Nicole recalled how when she lived there she would stop and chat to people in the street and soon the conversation would become animated as they discussed the pros and cons of the big stars such as Gilberto Simoni or Damiano Cunego.
“They all have their favourites and knew what they were talking about even though they were not cyclists. And it is so nice when there is that appreciation and I think the Worlds are going to be incredible at Varese. It is such a beautiful course, its going to be a great worlds.”
Prior to the road words, Nicole will join a Great Britain team (Emma Pooley, Sharon Laws, Catherine Hare, Rachel Heal and Jessica Allen) at the Tour of Ardeche in France.
Speaking about the team support at major championships and the Olympics, Nicole explained that “having the team behind me has been so incredible and such a benefit for me. It’s also been very motivating for me as well knowing people are going to be putting a lot of effort into helping me like choosing a race plan which might help me be successful. So I have to be ready to do my part of the bargain and that is very motivating, to have such a great team spirit because I don't want to let the girls down.”
And is having won the Olympics a weight off her shoulders? “Yes, it is. It has also given me a lot more inner confidence as well because I always felt I had the qualities to win races of that standard and so to be able to do that has been great to prove to myself that I wasn't dreaming about it and being unrealistic”.
“It is very satisfying to have achieved something which is very difficult and doesn’t come easy but to do it when I believed I could, is very special to me. I'm very happy that even now I can look back at my career as a professional and know that I am now one of the most complete riders and I intend to keep on winning! You can never take anything for granted in cycling so until you win a race like that, you can't rest on what ever else you have done”.
The Halfords Bikehut Experience
Team photo from Newport early in the year as Nicole is surrounded by young teammmates.
Finally, we spoke about what has been quite a different season for her. It began with a team being built around her, Team Halfords Bikehut. That she says was really great. “Being able to find a sponsor that wanted the same things as I did was the best thing about this season. It meant we could go and choose our races that fitted in with the plan ahead for the Olympics and not just go to them for results but also to work on other things as well.”
“That has been the biggest benefit of being part of the Halfords Bikehut team. There are though so many other nice little things like it being an all British team. It changes the atmosphere at races in a way. With the majority of the girls being so young, it has taken me back to when I was 18 /19 and how I was feeling back then going to races and the excitement I had. I can see that in them now and although I have never lost the excitement for racing, it has been really nice for me to feel that different element of excitement like I had when I was a young cyclist starting out.”
Looking ahead at her racing programme, Nicole’s season will finish after the Road Worlds where she has an impressive record with Silver and Bronze medals but as yet, no Gold. Give her time though because there is nobody in this world more driven and focused on winning that World title and there is probably never a better chance for her than on her ‘home’ course.
After the Worlds, Nicole will have a break before resuming training in November. As for next season and whether she will resume her normal routine of winning Classics and stage races, that is still to be decided. She says she has some ideas for next year but will keep them to herself until she has been able to discuss them with her team. In the meantime, she is looking forward to getting out on her road bike and even her track bike in the winter! Before that though, she has another date with destiny and the next big goal in Varese!
Our thanks to her for talking to us and good luck to Nicole in Italy! British Cycling will be with the team and sending back team news and pictures!
RELATED LINKS
Nicole's Website: http://www.nicolecooke.com/