Cycling: Cooke’s team will race despite lack of sponsor

December 18, 2024

Olympic and world road cycling champion Nicole Cooke has said her new team, Vision1 Racing, will compete next year on the international circuit despite losing its existing sponsor and failing to attract a new one.

The 25 year old Welshwoman raced last year in the Halfords-Bikehut team, but the company has taken the decision to withdraw the sponsorship in favour of the men’s team instead.

Cooke was left with the choice of signing a lucrative contract with a foreign team, or forming her own British team. She opted for the latter with the aim of helping to develop the best of young, British road cycling talent.

“Because I wanted to work with the young British girls, the only option I had really was to form my own British team because there isn’t any other British team out there.

“That’s the situation that we’re in and I hope that by leading by example and showing them I really believe in this, that I really believe in them.

“It’s the first step in creating the team spirit that will help us through hard times (during races).”

While the lack of sponsor at this stage may mean the flurry of wins and titles the team would like may not come immediately, the long term goal of working towards 2012 still remains intact.

“I think it’s a fantastic project - first of all the chance to work with the young British girls and to try to teach them and get them really in the right races and in the right environment so they can learn and progress as good as they can,” said Cooke.

“So that’s wonderful and I hope that every step that we take will bring us closer to having one of the strongest ever teams in London 2012.

“It’s very easy to take a rider who is already winning races and to continue winning with them, but it’s not so easy to take riders when they’re still young and haven’t really got to the limit of their talent.

“We’ll help them make themselves the champions we believe they can be.”

Joining Cooke on the Vision1 Racing team is Gabby Day, silver medalist in the British cyclo-cross championships and Katie Curtis, who like Cooke, comes from Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club.

Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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