Follow britishcycling.org.uk on 
Nicole Cooke to Race for GB in 2010
Story posted February 5, by Larry Hickmott
The Olympic Road Race Champion, Nicole Cooke, was dealt a cruel blow earlier this year when her team for 2010 folded, leaving the rider who has won pretty much every honour there is in women’s road racing without a team.
With the racing season already getting underway, Nicole met with Great Britain Cycling Team’s Performance Director, Dave Brailsford, and they agreed a racing programme for Nicole and the Women’s Olympic Academy (Endurance) for the year ahead. The schedule will give the Olympic champion the racing required to challenge again for the rainbow jersey at the Road Worlds in 2010 (Melbourne) and move forward in her aim to retain her Olympic title.
2008 and Nicole was on top of the World after winning the Olympics and the Worlds Championships.
Speaking from Switzerland where Nicole is now based, she says ““GB is a fantastic environment to be setting myself up in. We’re working together now and have started the build up to London 2012 and I’m very exciting about this new path ahead and the momentum which is building”.
Asked to give her view on what happened to her team for 2010, Nicole explained “after weeks of no information and no news from Mr Alexander Oppelt about the state of the team I signed with, I received on Tuesday the confirmation from his lawyer that it is a fact now, Equipe Nuernberger as an active racing team no longer exists anymore even though I have a valid, un-cancelled 2 year contract with that company.”
“So, with no team, which meant no races for the coming season, I contacted British Cycling and we found a solution that is good for both sides where I will ride for the British National Team. Within GB, I know all my team mates, the staff and to race with the Academy riders, who are developing into future champions themselves, is a challenge in itself where I’ll be in a position to help them on their way. This brings with it different goals and responsibilities compared to riding in a professional team and adds a very inspiring dimension to the season ahead.”
Winning the national championships was Nicole Cooke in the Rainbow jersey in Wales. It doesn't get much better than that for the Welsh champion.
Nicole right now is mixing her time between home in Switzerland and training in Tuscany and her first coming together with the GB squad will be in a training camp on the 3rd of March in Majorca which she says she is looking forward to before the first races with all the girls. Asked about her racing programme with GB, Nicole explained that the racing through the Spring has been organised and she has already discussed with manager Simon Cope ideas for racing after that with an eye on the World Road Race Championships. “It looks like a nice plan with many of the races already in place for the academy riders balanced out with higher level races like the Worlds Cups which is great for me”.
After injuries in 2009, Nicole says that she is now very well and had a good end to the season by going to Australia (where her brother Craig now lives) where she was able to recover properly before getting in a good block of pre-season training. “At the moment, I’m very pleased with how my training and preparation is going.” Asked whether the cancellation of some races will affect her programme, Nicole replied, “I am following a quite sensible plan as I have in previous years and so my schedule won’t be a lot different despite what has happened with my team and other races being cancelled.”
Whilst the Road Worlds is the big goal, asked whether there are any other events she is looking forward to, Nicole replied, “the Spring campaign is very exciting with World Cup racing four weekends in a row during March and April. It is a very demanding month but also very exciting.” Looking at the big picture though, Nicole finds it very reassuring that GB is already thinking about the 2012 Olympics and is putting plans in place to help her and other British riders to be in top form.
Nicole's biggest victory to date -- the Olympic road race in Beijing. Photo by Phil O'Connor
No matter what GB do however, it is worrying that the Women’s team setups are vastly different to the Men’s ones and there is such inequality between the two sides of the sport. Looking at what has happened to Nicole and the collapsing of major Women’s races, I can’t help but wonder why the equality the UCI have aimed for, and achieved, on the track doesn’t exist on the road like it does in other sports like Tennis and Golf. With the likes of Columbia and Cervelo, to name but two teams who have men’s and women’s squads, perhaps it’s time that the rule makers such as the UCI help professional women’s road racing by ensuring all ProTour teams have men’s and women’s squads and a ProTour programme of races is also introduced for women.
Equality I expect is a long way off when it comes to pay and the number of races but certainly the UCI could do something positive to help things a long. Lets hope so. For 2010 though, it is good news to see Britain’s Olympic champion Nicole Cooke back in the saddle and with a team for the year ahead. We wish her and Team GB lots of luck on the road in 2010.
