RaisiNg The baR
However there is a clear defence of came about as a result of the challenges we road race and the challenge before her in
justification as Nicole became the first placed before British cycling,” explained Tony Athens was enormous and also this year
British gold medallist in Beijing, the first Cooke. against well organised teams who wanted to
Welsh woman ever to win individual get the gold medal,” said Tony.
gold at an Olympics, completing a list of “There have been times when it has appeared
achievements which are off the scale in terms the challenges off the bike have been greater “You do not just need to be on top of your
of Welsh sport. than those on the bike. game physically and mentally, but you also
need things to go your way in terms of
“I thought Nicole was a potential gold “Nicole has this letter which said she would crashes within the bunch.
medallist very early on,” recalled Tony Cooke never ride for GB again because she did not
at the family and friends celebration at Celtic fit in with the way they wanted to run the “Nicole can be contented in terms of
Manor to welcome Nicole, and her gold women’s squad at the time. putting her wins in perspective and she will
medal, back home to Wales. have other races which might mean more
“Given the choice of complying with their athletically, but this one is the biggest in terms
“Very early in her cycling career she showed system, which had not got a track record of of what she does, how she does it and how
drive and determination, not just beating the success, or going on with what Nicole knew it is seen.”
girls but also the boys as well. It was unheard was achieving results - such as the first world
of to beat the boys in various age group road race title for about 35 years – she knew One of Tony Cooke’s favourite pictures
races and she did that in winning the Welsh precisely what she wanted to do and how she is from the Commonwealth Games in
cyclo-cross. would achieve success. Melbourne where all six Australian cyclists
posed on the gold medal podium, including
“One would say that very early on there was “That was the decision we took at the time breakaway gold and silver medallists Natalie
that potential, but what she embarked on despite various attempts to redirect us Bates and Oenone Wood.
was very, very hard.” otherwise. Nicole has carried on performing,
doing the job she does in the sport she loves The clear implication was that it had taken
It seems impossible and it has been proved to be successful. a team success up against lone Welsh cyclist
to believe now that Cooke, who took bronze. That sort of thing
before and after her “There were always a number of people is a fact of life in cycling and was a major
Commonwealth who showed their support and gave backing, barrier for Cooke in the Olympics and world
Games success, unfortunately there were a few others who championships.
Cooke was did not share in our vision from what was
not part of the going on. British cycling performance director David
British team as Brailsford, the man behind Britain’s most
she pursued top “They set a great store in the women riders successful Olympic team, was determined to
competition in on the world class performance plan which set about levelling the playing field.
Europe instead. was in place a few years ago, but because
Nicole was such a precocious talent at 16 she While Cooke had improved as a racer and
In the build up was beating those people. a competitor thanks to being at the top in
to Beijing British Europe, her team schedule was not focussed
Cycling was “Such is life, there are trials and her victory on individual successes such as the Olympics.
prepared to embrace is all the more great for the length of the
and support a journey.” Brailsford wanted to make Cooke the centre
unique talent, but of a British team, with the Olympics and
the very changes Apart from the open water swimmers, Nicole world championships as the main goals, and
which have made was the only British distance athlete to be in set about trying to make that happen.
the sport such a contention for medals in the sweltering heat
success here came and smog of Beijing. “The name of David Brailsford is now
about in no small synonymous with the whole GB cycling ‘going
part because of Cooke. Maybe the rain helped slightly in that respect, for gold’ ethic,” explained Halfords head of
Nicole Cooke
but for an event so full of pitfalls as the road Public Relations Barbara Cadd.
“This Olympics is not a flash race that brings other problems.
in the pan. It is the result of the “We had been talking to British cycling for
SW
change in the structure which “Events do not come much harder than the about a year when he approached me with
21
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issue4twothousand&eight
SW_Issue4.indd 21 10/10/08 10:59:51
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