Armitstead vs Cooke

fleshtuxedo
fleshtuxedo Posts: 1,853
edited December 2011 in Pro race
Did everyone read the interview with Armitstead in this week's comic?:

How did Nicole Cooke ride at the worlds (where Armitstead was team leader)

"For herself in my opinion"

On NC as a team mate

"I've never seen her work for a team mate"

On, er, no-one in particular

"I've seen too many Olympic champions that still seem miserable with it"

Comments

  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    They both think they should be team leader for the Olympics - LA quoted in the papers this week - "'My Olympic campaign starts with my first road race (in February). I want to prove that I'm getting results early on so there's no question about who the leader should be."

    You wonder if maybe BC have given her encouragement to think she will be team leader given what she's saying and the fact she is giving up on the team pursuit and omnium for the road race.

    Personally when it comes to a Worlds or Olympic road race I'd put money on Cooke to finish ahead of Armitstead every time.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    armitstead would win the sprint between them i think, but they should both push the pace and try get in a break then just play the 1,2 game
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    To me NC seems a difficult character, seems to struggle in teams and I think likes to go it alone. She got the hump last year when Pooley, Armistead and Laws worked her over at the Nationals. I think it will be difficult for BC to choose her for the Olympics and not make her team leader, as she probably won't follow orders to help another rider. Would they have the balls to leave out the defending champion?
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Don't really know much about the women's side of racing, so my opinion is just that, and probably worth very little, but for what i have previously heard/read/seen about NC, for all intents and purposes, she seems like a complete ar*ehole.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Rodrego Hernandez
    Rodrego Hernandez Posts: 1,436
    Cooke is very driven and is a winner and has been for a long time. Armistead is also a winner but brought up with a team mentality. BC have worked against Cooke for a long time so no wonder she likes to ride for herself.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,104
    Rodrego Hernandez wrote:
    Cooke is very driven and is a winner and has been for a long time. Armistead is also a winner but brought up with a team mentality. BC have worked against Cooke for a long time so no wonder she likes to ride for herself.

    Worked against? Like providing her with a team, back up support and entry to races when she couldn't find a trade team to ride for?
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    andyp wrote:
    Rodrego Hernandez wrote:
    Cooke is very driven and is a winner and has been for a long time. Armistead is also a winner but brought up with a team mentality. BC have worked against Cooke for a long time so no wonder she likes to ride for herself.

    Worked against? Like providing her with a team, back up support and entry to races when she couldn't find a trade team who would put up with her?

    Corrected. :D
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Tom Butcher wrote:
    They both think they should be team leader for the Olympics - LA quoted in the papers this week - "'My Olympic campaign starts with my first road race (in February). I want to prove that I'm getting results early on so there's no question about who the leader should be."

    Blimey, for a second there I though Armstrong had come out of retirement again!

    :D
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    Lets face it Cooke has and never will be a team player, but that was probably one of the keys to her success at a time when BC(F) simply weren't up to much and you had to go it alone. As for the current spat, I'm not sure what Armistead is moaning about considering her winning record isn't even close to Cooke's, so I can't see how she can expect to be team leader based on a lack of results. If she wins well at the beginning of 2012 then maybe she has the right to expect to play a more important role come the Olympics, but that's for the future.

    As for Sutton having a moan, bit rich when he's know Cooke for years, sure he can't be surprised by her attitude :!:
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Respect to Cooke for what she has achieved largely on her own. The other riders have been molly cuddled. She went out hard and has a palmares to be proud of and to be envied.

    vartmpgallery-migration-83-temp--9.jpg

    Armi is still a hottie.
    Lizzie-Amistead-1.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Defending Olympic women’s road race champion Nicole Cooke received a boost to her 2012 London Games preparations when she won Saturday’s Subaru Noosa GP in Queensland, Australia.

    She beat a strong local field that included Commonwealth Games champion Rochelle Gilmore, Garmin-Cervelo pro Carla Ryan, the in-form Carlee Taylor and experienced sprinter Trudy Van Der Straaten

    ***

    “It’s a great start to the Olympic campaign,” she said. “I’ve had a break since the world championships and arrived in Perth a few weeks ago, where my brother lives.

    “That [Perth] will be my base for the Australian summer and this is the first weekend of my pre-season training so it’s off to a very good start.”
    Contador is the Greatest
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Armi is still a hottie.

    Maybe, but in a poll on Lesbilicious 'The webs' tastiest lesbian magazine', Nicole Cooke was voted into 5th place as the 'Most lesbilicious UK sportswoman' of 2008.

    http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/tv-film/r ... 2008-poll/

    That said, I don't really know what it is to be 'lesbilicious'! :lol:
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    BikingBernie wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Armi is still a hottie.

    Maybe, but in a poll on Lesbilicious 'The webs' tastiest lesbian magazine', Nicole Cooke was voted into 5th place as the 'Most lesbilicious UK sportswoman' of 2008.

    http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/tv-film/r ... 2008-poll/

    That said, I don't really know what it is to be 'lesbilicious'! :lol:
    The length of your research holds no bounds :D
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  • Secteur
    Secteur Posts: 1,971
    I think it shows a suprising lack of judgement to make such comments publically for many reasons.

    It's disrespectful to the team and shows a lack of team spirit and it show her competitors that the womens team has problems and is, perhaps, weak.

    I would be suprised if the team didn't sanction her because of these comments.

    Could you imagine the mens team saying such things?

    Not sure I'd want someone like this on my team...
  • zippypablo
    zippypablo Posts: 398
    BikingBernie wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Armi is still a hottie.

    Maybe, but in a poll on Lesbilicious 'The webs' tastiest lesbian magazine', Nicole Cooke was voted into 5th place as the 'Most lesbilicious UK sportswoman' of 2008.

    http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/tv-film/r ... 2008-poll/

    That said, I don't really know what it is to be 'lesbilicious'! :lol:
    Well I didn't expect to read that today.
    Thanks BB
    If suffer we must, let's suffer on the heights. (Victor Hugo).
  • OffTheBackAdam
    OffTheBackAdam Posts: 1,869
    Two top riders, battling for number one spot in their national team.
    Apart from they're British & female, what's unusual about this?
    Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Nothing - but perhaps it's unusual that one should come out and criticise the other in public like that and seemingly have the support of BC staff in doing so - especially when some of what they are saying doesn't match up to what actually happened at the Worlds.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Folks seem to be forgetting that Pooley's selfless ride at Bejiing allowed Cooke an armchair ride. Lizzi should get the teamleader role for the Olympics due to he sprinting
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    what does Cooke earn if she helps Armistead win? Cycling is an individual sport first , not a team sport..that's a lowly second... Asking Downing..he should probably have done as Nicole did a few times in 2011. Well done Nicole.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Dave_1 wrote:
    what does Cooke earn if she helps Armistead win?

    Selection?
  • Le Commentateur
    Le Commentateur Posts: 4,099
    Secteur wrote:
    I think it shows a suprising lack of judgement to make such comments publically for many reasons.

    It's disrespectful to the team and shows a lack of team spirit and it show her competitors that the womens team has problems and is, perhaps, weak.

    Perhaps that's the plan: to plant the idea that the team won't be a cohesive unit next summer at the Olympics.
    Un uomo solo al commando
  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    Partly due to injuries and team issues, Nicole hasn't been performing as well in recent seasons. Having said that, she is still a top-level cyclist. Lizzie seems like a good rider. I've only seen her at Manchester Velodrome, where she was extremely impressive.

    Any team in the Olympics needs to have multiple gameplans. They can name a specific person as leader (such as Cav in the mens), but with small teams I'm not sure that will work. If it does come down to a bunch sprint I'd definitely put my money on Lizzie. However, if it splits Nicole is probably more likely to be up there. Sadly the course probably won't be hard enough for Emma Pooley.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,480
    For all her faults when it comes to being a team player Nicole is still a big game rider and knows how to win major races. It isn't always a case of having the quicker sprint and she knows how to be in the right pace at the right time. She has had to be independent ever since she was a youngster riding local crits against the boys and BC didn't give her much support in those early years. That said she finally won the Olympics thanks to the support of her team after getting worked over in 2004.

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