Nicole Cooke retires - and let's rip

ddraver

I know, I expect Mr Fighter's lawyers are drafting the cease and desist as we speak!

Richmond Racer

disgruntledgoat wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/14/nicole-cooke-retirement-statement

That statement in full. Uncomfortable reading re: British Cycling and repentant returnees. I bet her and Millar would be an interesting interview.

Jeremy Whitte wrote in the Times this morning that she was furious when Millar returned to Team GB in 06 - it caused rift at the time between her and Dave B

disgruntledgoat

Richmond Racer wrote:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/14/nicole-cooke-retirement-statement

That statement in full. Uncomfortable reading re: British Cycling and repentant returnees. I bet her and Millar would be an interesting interview.

Jeremy Whitte wrote in the Times this morning that she was furious when Millar returned to Team GB in 06. Caused rift between her and Dave B at the time

I'm kind of torn on that, firstly, I think life bans are a blunt tool that do nothing to solve the issue (if anything, they probably make an Omerta more likely and harder to crack) but the forthrightness of Cooke makes me think twice.

jimmythecuckoo

iainf72 wrote:

He's got rich? Because people who write books get rich?

I am still waiting to get rich from my books.

Pross

Probably one of the most honest and insightful sports interviews / statements I have read. It really does cover a lot of issues. It is a world away from many who have given a bit of gentle criticism but have been too busy protecting their place on the post-retirement gravy train to really speak out. I wonder if there is a space for her in the backroom staff at Wiggle Honda? Surely someone who is prepared to speak out so strongly on doping would be an asset to the sponsor and there are few with as good knowledge of the women's sport plus she is obviously passionate about getting equality for the women's side of things.

Pross

jimmythecuckoo wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

He's got rich? Because people who write books get rich?

I am still waiting to get rich from my books.

Have you considered writing an expose on the shady goings on in University hockey?

Richmond Racer

Pross wrote:

Probably one of the most honest and insightful sports interviews / statements I have read. It really does cover a lot of issues. It is a world away from many who have given a bit of gentle criticism but have been too busy protecting their place on the post-retirement gravy train to really speak out. I wonder if there is a space for her in the backroom staff at Wiggle Honda? Surely someone who is prepared to speak out so strongly on doping would be an asset to the sponsor and there are few with as good knowledge of the women's sport plus she is obviously passionate about getting equality for the women's side of things.

Wiggle Honda are forging a bit of a new path - decent pay for the riders, and they've also hooked up with Bike Pure for anti-doping education for the team.

Depends what she wants to do now - no mention of that so far. Plus how she gets on with Rochelle Gilmore would be pretty fundamental. Gilmore's 31 and has plenty of experience in the peloton herself. Not to be brutal but would Cooke offer much extra?

Ben6899

Richmond Racer wrote:

To be honest, I'd read this ahead of another Dan Brown book

Hey fellas. Richmond Racer has read a Dan Brown book!

That is something I would never admit.

Richmond Racer

Ben6899 wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

To be honest, I'd read this ahead of another Dan Brown book

Hey fellas. Richmond Racer has read a Dan Brown book!

That is something I would never admit.

Confessions are the new black

Ben6899

Richmond Racer wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

To be honest, I'd read this ahead of another Dan Brown book

Hey fellas. Richmond Racer has read a Dan Brown book!

That is something I would never admit.

Confessions are the new black

I thought Brown was the new black? Am I allowed to say 'brown' or is that racist?

eh

Read the full statement, OMG how self centered is she, just confirms everything we knew already. Full of her own self importance, with little credit given to all the people who helped her along the way. Good cyclist, but no team player and a pretty unlikable person by all accounts. I bet no team including BC wants to touch her as a result of this, and her dodgy knees, hence, retirement.

Is the 'Peter' she mentions in that BBC interview her brother?

ever since she was that 12 year old racing against the boys on a street circuit outside Cardiff's City Hall she was always a battler

I marshalled that race, I think, I certainly did one race outside Cardiff City Hall.

simon_e

eh wrote:

Read the full statement, OMG how self centered is she, just confirms everything we knew already. Full of her own self importance, with little credit given to all the people who helped her along the way.

If I didn't know better I'd think we had read two very different texts. Funny how people can look at exactly the same thing and come to such very different conclusions.

johnboy183

Have to agree with above statement. Yes it could be interpreted as being self-centred, arrogant whatever. However reminds me of a certain speedster from IoM and I like him. Whatever the truth is about her, I don't think she has had the recognition she has deserved from the great British public (spoty) nor perhaps the establishment. Would be a shame if all the experience she has accrued is lost to cycling. Whether it be Wiggle Honda or the new CTC team, or BC or wherever, a place should be found for her

ddraver

+1 Jon.....

salsiccia1

eh wrote:

Read the full statement, OMG how self centered is she, just confirms everything we knew already. Full of her own self importance, with little credit given to all the people who helped her along the way. Good cyclist, but no team player and a pretty unlikable person by all accounts. I bet no team including BC wants to touch her as a result of this, and her dodgy knees, hence, retirement.

I must say, your comment comes across as pretty mean-spirited.

Isn't the fact that there wasn't much help along the way one of her points? If she'd been a 'team player', waiting for the BC of those days to nurture and assist, she would never have got anywhere. And 'pretty unlikeable person by all accounts' - whose accounts? Those who wanted to squeeze her in to the BC mold? Those who like their sports-people to be obedient girls and boys, without drive and ambition?

rob churchill

I love her for this;

I did not have long to wait before encountering suspicious circumstances. In the fridge [in a team house] were various bottles and vials with diaphragms on top for extracting the contents via syringes. I rang dad and asked what I should do. We chatted it through and came to the conclusion that even condoning the presence of 'medicines' in the house I was staying, could lead to pressure being put on me, or in the worst case, if there was a raid on the house, it was highly unlikely that any of the "professionals " I was sharing the house with were going to say "it's a fair cop guv, That gear is all mine." So, I emptied the fridge and put the lot out in the front garden and [said] either it went or I went. It went.

and this;

I have had days where temptation to start onto the slippery slope was brought in front of me. [In one race] I was asked what "medicines" I would like to take to help me, and was reminded that the team had certain expectations of me during the race and I was not living up to them with my performance over the last couple of stages. I said I would do my best until I had to drop out of the race, but I was not taking anything.

rob churchill

iainf72 wrote:

LutherB wrote:

I liked the 'Hamilton's filthy hands' line hehehe

Hamilton has done more to help clean up the sport than Cooke has with all her ranting, as amusing and accurate as they may be.

More like Nicole, and fewer like Hamilton, and the sport wouldn't need cleaning up, would it?

Richmond Racer

rob churchill wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

LutherB wrote:

I liked the 'Hamilton's filthy hands' line hehehe

Hamilton has done more to help clean up the sport than Cooke has with all her ranting, as amusing and accurate as they may be.

More like Nicole, and fewer like Hamilton, and the sport wouldn't need cleaning up, would it?

Nail. Head.

tailwindhome

No one else reading the thread title and thinking she broke wind during the press conference?

dave milne

TailWindHome wrote:

No one else reading the thread title and thinking she broke wind during the press conference?

:-D

Team4Luke

a Book to come soon.........

ocdupalais

dave milne wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

No one else reading the thread title and thinking she broke wind during the press conference?

:-D

I did; but took it perhaps a step too far (see page 2).

Can never decide which is more sophisticated: a n*b or a fart gag?

Tusher

Nicole Cook is clearly like The Queen and cannot pass wind. End of.

A lot of ferociously honest people come across as self-centred, but the more I read about her, the more I warmed to her.


Would hate to share a flat with her though.

nweststeyn

ddraver wrote:

Jens has just tweeted his support....even bestows True Champion status on her!!!!

I thought only Frenchie was permitted to do so

EDIT: OH FFS someone already made that joke

Pross

eh wrote:

Read the full statement, OMG how self centered is she, just confirms everything we knew already. Full of her own self importance, with little credit given to all the people who helped her along the way. Good cyclist, but no team player and a pretty unlikable person by all accounts. I bet no team including BC wants to touch her as a result of this, and her dodgy knees, hence, retirement.

Is the 'Peter' she mentions in that BBC interview her brother?

ever since she was that 12 year old racing against the boys on a street circuit outside Cardiff's City Hall she was always a battler

I marshalled that race, I think, I certainly did one race outside Cardiff City Hall.

To be fair she does give credit to those that helped her and even to the official that prevented her entering that grass track race. I think she also does have a point and has played a fairly significant role in the improvements made to youth (and in particular girls) cycling in the past decade. For a few years at the start of her senior career she was THE British cycling story until the Olympic successes on the track over-shadowed her achievements. I'm sure the changes she lists would have come about without her input but I don't doubt she made it happen quicker.

Peter isn't her brother, her brother is Craig. He showed a lot of promise himself as a young rider in lots of disciplines including 2nd and 3rd at National junior cross champs, 3rd at the National junior road race and 3rd in the junior Tour of Wales.

Tom Dean

Armitstead - 'To me it's old news and should be left there' :roll:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21036935

salsiccia1

Tom Dean wrote:

Armitstead - 'To me it's old news and should be left there' :roll:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21036935

Couldn't quite resist having dig, by the looks of those comments. A bit petty really.

Pross

Tom Dean wrote:

Armitstead - 'To me it's old news and should be left there' :roll:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21036935

Says a rider who has had the benefit of the BC system behind her instead of against her all her cycling life.

EDIT I had assumed she was referring to the BC stuff as I didn't think she'd be stupid enough to take the 'don't speak about drugs, that's all history' route. Seems I over-estimated her intelligence :roll:

secretsqirrel

Tom Dean wrote:

Armitstead - 'To me it's old news and should be left there' :roll:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21036935

Oh dear, Armistead didn't do herself any favours there, although this made me laugh..

"Well that's not true because I train with my boyfriend every single day. I know that he's 100% clean and he wins men's bike races."


How old is she? :roll:

frenchfighter

Go Cooke. Another link for the statement in case the other link breaks: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/kn72pr