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Emma Pooley attacks British Cycling over not selecting any women for World Championship time trial

British champion, who won rainbow jersey in 2010, says decision based on “poor reasoning”

Emma Pooley, world time trial champion in 2010, has criticised British Cycling for its decision not to enter any women for the discipline at the UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, later this month.

Meanwhile it has been confirmed that Sir Dave Brailsford, who left his post as performance director with the governing body earlier this year, will return on a one-off basis to head the national team at the event.

A spokeswoman for British Cycling, quoted on Guardian.co.uk, said: “We have chosen not to enter anyone into the elite women’s time trial event this year as we don’t believe we have a contender for a medal and we are obliged to use our resources where we have the best chance of success.”

But Pooley, who announced her retirement from cycling after winning silver in the time trial at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, said on Twitter that the decision was founded on “poor reasoning. I didn’t have a medal chance at 1st Worlds. But experience helped later.”

British Cycling replied: “We would agree that it can be good experience, but our priority is to win medals and so we need to focus our resource on that.”

Former world and Olympic road champion Nicole Cooke has criticised British Cycling over its selection policy in her recently published autobiography The Breakaway, including highlighting her omission from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, a year after she became Britain’s youngest ever national champion.

Among the riders who could potentially have challenged in the time trial at Ponferrada is Joanna Rowsell, national champion in 2013, but like Wiggle Honda colleagues Laura Trott and Dani King, she is currently preparing for the forthcoming track season.

Some might point out that Britain does have another medal contender, in the shape of the current national champion – Pooley herself, had she delayed her retirement by a few weeks.

Speaking of the decision to bring Brailsford back on board for the world championships just six months after he left to focus full-time on his role at Team Sky, British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton said: “It made sense for me to ask Sir Dave to attend the road world championships as obviously the road is his focus and full-time role.

“The decision allows me to stay in Manchester with the track riders for the nationals and to focus on the performances there which are increasingly important at this stage of the Olympic cycle

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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21 comments

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racyrich | 10 years ago
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You would have thought that there'd be a British girl or 2 floating around Ponferrada in the week between the women's TTT and the women's RR. If one of them wants the ride, let them do it.

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Awavey | 10 years ago
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but its not unreasonable that BC had simply assumed Emma Ps availability for selection for the Worlds ITT, having been their main ITT pick for the last 7-8 years, though they didnt enter anyone in 2013 (oddly missed in most of the write ups on this issue) because Emma was taking a sabbatical.

And so theyve simply been caught with no plan B (sound familiar at all), because Emma only retired a week before the Commonwealth Games ITT,and then suddenly the track dates clash becomes an issue.

we know by Rio, the team pursuit squad will be down to 4/5 so there will be an ITT specialist choice available.

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Leodis | 10 years ago
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BC have made the correct choice, BC is not funded for "gaining experience" for riders, its funded by medals and so if the limited money could be spent elsewhere on actual results then furry muff.

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pjclinch | 10 years ago
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How far down? Well, if you're looking at development (like, oooh, the track teams have been doing since the Olympics, placing that as a priority so they get medals *at* the Olympics) then someone who is young and has the potential to improve. I won't name names, I don't know the field well enough, but I suspect EP does...

The track teams are working on an Olympic cycle to target their medals and between Olympics then they are willing to deprecate medal chances to develop things. That won't work with an annual competition like the Worlds but there again there'll be a women's TT at Rio. How will we do there, with nobody willing to put any effort in to developing now? Or perhaps we'll not bother entering, what with having no realistic medal chances? I wonder how the not-quite-so-world-beating cross-country MTB squads would feel about that as a BC general policy?

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KirinChris | 10 years ago
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The world's first cycle-powered bandwagon is going to come from Road CC and the comments I'm sure.

The current national champion (Pooley), the previous national champion (Rowsell) and the next obvious choice (Archibald) are all unavailable.

How far down do you want them to go, just to give someone experience?

You could also argue that dredging someone up just to throw them into a world championship with no realistic hopes is not the best way to develop talent.

Do the men stand a chance in the road race? They will feature in the race, even if they don't win or get a medal. They won't be there just to make up numbers.

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Bigfoz | 10 years ago
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Based on these criteria, are they pulling the entire men's road race team? Without a Cavendish, I don't see a medal...

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NeilG83 replied to Bigfoz | 10 years ago
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Bigfoz wrote:

Based on these criteria, are they pulling the entire men's road race team? Without a Cavendish, I don't see a medal...

The course doesn't suit Cavendish and IMO this will be the strongest men's team at a World Champs for years. Although I have to admit I don't rate their chances of getting a medal either.

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SamLichy | 10 years ago
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Not surprising that BC aren't supporting women. Has been like this for 15 years.
What about the experience it gives to young, talented and hard working women who have trained for this? Should be paying them back for their hard work - not just thinking of the medals.

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pjclinch | 10 years ago
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BC's (MTB) web site proudly proclaims, "Earlier Great Britain’s Alice Barnes also produced an impressive ride in the women’s under-23 race, taking seventh in her first year in the category".

Was this rider a clear medal prospect? If she impressed in coming 7th and had never ridden the category before I suspect not, but I certainly wouldn't say BC were wrong to send her to Norway to get the experience. That does rather set up not sending someone to Spain for some experience in the Elite Women's TT as being a double standard though.

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Binky | 10 years ago
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Sod this! Once my BC membership runs out in November i am not re-newing it.

Women have no chance in getting ahead. It's 2014 for crying out loud  102

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mmag1 | 10 years ago
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No change of attitude at the BC boys' club since Nicole retired then?

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Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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Breaking news shocker! Emma Pooley is whinging again. No-one, but no-one, could have predicted *that*!

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VeloPeo replied to Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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Joeinpoole wrote:

Breaking news shocker! Emma Pooley is whinging again. No-one, but no-one, could have predicted *that*!

You missed the word "justifiably" out of your snide comment  3

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paulfg42 replied to Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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Joeinpoole wrote:

Breaking news shocker! Emma Pooley is whinging again. No-one, but no-one, could have predicted *that*!

She's not 'whinging' (sic) but making a perfectly reasonable and valid point.

Take your blinkers off.

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stealth replied to Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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Joeinpoole

What a nob!

Emma is spot-on with her comments, do the Men stand a chance in the RR?

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Must be Mad | 10 years ago
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And there was I, thinking that BC was one of the better funded national bodies around....

As usual, Pooley is 100% right. If we don't invest in bringing on new talent, where will the medals come from come Rio '16 (this IS an Olympic discipline after all)

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Simon E | 10 years ago
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Such is the nature of GB's narrow focus on Olympic medals (and, I suspect, a persistent lack of real commitment to women's road racing).

If they are taking bikes, staff etc for the road races and the men's TT then it wouldn't be a stretch to include someone like Elinor Barker or another of the young 'uns so they get the experience.

They have entered 4 for the men's TT but only Brad and Alex have a chance of a medal (no disrespect intended to Steve Cummings or Geraint Thomas!).

Very disappointing.

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NeilG83 replied to Simon E | 10 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

They have entered 4 for the men's TT but only Brad and Alex have a chance of a medal (no disrespect intended to Steve Cummings or Geraint Thomas!).

They have named a four man short-list for the men's TT, but only 2 of them will ride.

With the national champ, Emma Pooley retired, why not reward 1 or 2 of the riders that finished just behind her in those championships. Katie Archibald was 2nd and is a fantastic young rider, though maybe she is focussing on the track season too as part of the team pursuit squad.

As Emma Pooley has said in the past the female pros do very few time-trials. Why pass up the chance to gain experience.

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ct | 10 years ago
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I am somewhat aghast, it seems to make no sense...even if one of the wiggle girls can't do it there is talent out there and as Ms Pooley states, experience is a great thing

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SteppenHerring | 10 years ago
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I imagine Jo Rowsell would do a very good TT. She smashed my PB on a local 25 course.

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cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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When British Cycling do allow women to race the TT, they don't get a spare TT bike on the roof of the car like the men do.

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