Nicole Cooke wins the world championship road race in 2008
Reigning Olympic champion Nicole Cooke is set to lead a new Italian team for 2011.
Sponsored by MCipollini bikes and leading clothing brand Giordana, former world champions Marta Bastianelli and Tatiana Guderzo join Cooke as team leaders.
Bastianelli recently completed a two-year suspension after testing positive for banned stimulant flenfluramine at the European U23 championships in the summer of 2008.
The team's eleven-strong roster also includes former junior world champion Rossella Callovi and Italian champion Monica Baccaille.
27 year old Cooke has been without a professional squad since August of last year, when the Vision1 team collapsed. The 2008 world champion was dealt another blow when the German Skyter team she had been set to join backed out last December.
Cooke has spent the season racing with the Great Britain national team. It has been a quiet year considering her past success.
Her only win was a stage of the Bira. She finished second to Emma Pooley at the Fleche Wallonne, and also relinquished her nine year winning streak at the national championships to the Cervelo rider.
Cooke went on the attack in the closing stages of the world championship road race in Melbourne, eventually finishing fourth.
Related links
Cooke wins Emakumeen-Bira stage
Uncertainty surrounds Cooke's Skyter team
Rider profile: Nicole Cooke
Reader comments
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Colnago dave
November 17 15:22
Great news as it was incredible that the best bike rider was without sponsor last season, go to it Nicole
Ken Evans
November 17 17:47
"Cooke went on the attack in the closing stages of the world championship road race in Melbourne, eventually finishing fourth." Slightly mis-judged effort, could have won.
Angharad
November 17 19:36
If Great Britain wants to build a team to beat the world at road racing, they'd be better off building a women's team - that could be possible with the likes of Cooke, Pooley and Armitstead et al: whereas with the men, they have no chance, especially the TdF.
Mark Bentley
November 18 09:06
In 2008 GB did have a womens team as you describe, the Halfords Bikhut squad. It's funny that was the year Nicole won both the Olympic and World titles, a proven model of success. Can David Brailsford please explain why the team was disbanded immediatly afterwards?
george
November 24 18:38
The team was nothing to do with team GB. Good news about the team but hopefully a bit of tact from Ms Cooke may keep her team mates happy. i.e don't talk about the druggy team mate etc