Nicole Cooke
As the 2008 Olympic and World Road Race Champion and ten times British Road Race Champion, Nicole Cooke is one of British Cycling’s most successful cycling stars. She played a major part as the Great Britain Road Team helped Lizzie Armitstead win Silver in London.
Fast facts:
- Nicole used to ride tandems on family holidays around Britain
- She moved to Italy when she was 18 and is fluent in Italian, French and speaks basic German.
Nicole began cycling with her family and spent many summer holidays touring around Britain with her family on tandems. She got the racing bug at age eleven, and after beating a field of girls and boys on an early trip to Holland, her potential was confirmed.
Nicole joined the GB Cycling Team in 2000. Her talent was soon evident as she won the 2000 Junior World Road Race title. She followed this up by winning the Road Race, Time Trial and Mountain Bike Cross-Country at the 2001 Junior World Championships – an unprecedented result at this level.
Nicole turned professional in 2002 and in her first season won a number of prestigious one day races in Europe, along with a Gold medal for Wales in the Commonwealth Games. A gritty all-rounder, her remarkable mental strength and will to win are perhaps her defining qualities.
Other achievements in the seasons that followed include wins in the Tour de France Feminine, Giro d’Italia and World Cup series. However, Nicole’s crowning moment came in 2008 when she became the first road cyclist to win the Olympic and World titles in the same year. She was rewarded with an MBE in the following New Year’s Honours List.
She remains a fierce and respected competitor, often at her best in the biggest races. She played a vital role as Lizzie Armitstead won Silver, becoming the first Team GB medallist of the London Olympics.
