Nicole Cooke - on 2012, track and the coming season

BBC Sport interview with the former World & Olympic Road Champion - lots in here - again putting her marker down for a spot on the Team Pursuit squad (along with almost every other British woman rider) and for the 2011 Road World Cup - and giving a take on Vision 1 and Skyter as well as her plans for the new Mcipollini-Giordana team

over 1 year ago Sarah Connolly 3 comments 0 recs |

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This seems a much better interview than she usually gives.

What do you reckon about the TP, Pigeons?

"What happened in British Cycling, a lot of people doubted me. I've come back, got this victory, and done it my way." - Adam Blythe after his first pro win at Circuit Franco Belge

by civetta on Jan 11, 2011 6:35 AM EST reply actions

As a non-brit

I have to wonder/ask how welcome she will be in the track team? There are riders there who devote their careers to those events and then she comes in hoping to hedge her bets with some more opportunities for a medal.

by Jens on Jan 11, 2011 7:32 AM EST reply actions

this is the interesting thing about the TP team

Sarah Storey really wants the TP – but British Cycling want her to choose either/or Paralympics or Olympics – and she chooses Olympics.

Lizzie Armitstead is fast, but she’ll be saved for the omnium.

As a fan, the idea of Rebecca Romero getting to come back after 3 years off just cos it’s Olympic year is frustrating. Given that British Cycling is funded by Lottery funding – and therefore the public, I have this (naive, old-fashioned) view that they should ride in front of fans occasionally.

I’m torn – of course I want Olympic gold – but do I want it gained by riders like Rowsell, Colclough and the Trott sisters riding their hearts out in the World Cups and other Olympic qualification events, only to be pushed aside by riders like Cooke and Romero deciding they’ll come back when they fancy it? If Dutch rider like Vera Koedooder can ride in the in-between years – and riders like Kirsten Wild fight for a place in the “unpopular” World Cup rounds like Cali and Beijing, why the hell can’t the British women?

I don’t think any rider “deserves” a spot – it should be the fastest and best TP riders – but equally, it’ll be disappointing if the riders who gained GB the spot in the competition don’t get to ride…. the Aussies and the Americans and the NZ teams can ride in the world Cups, so why are the Brits so damn special?

by Sarah Connolly on Jan 11, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions