23/08/03  Nicole is now within touching distance of becoming the first Briton to win the World Cup series.

An amazing performance in Plouay produced her third victory of the season, all the more spectacular as it was her first race back after such a long lay off.

Despite not being 100% following her knee injury she followed the moves, got away from several of her main rivals in the crucial split, and then outsprinted some of the world's top women.

Everything was quite for the first two 14 km laps, but on the third veteran Jeannie Longo upped the pace.

Another French rider Magali Le Floch too that cue to try a solo breakaway and built up a lead of a minute. She was eventually pulled back on the fifth of the eight laps.

Longo was again animating the bunch though but got caught during lap 5, and once more it led to a French rider getting away on her own.

Juliette Vandekerckhove built up a maximm maximum lead of 55 seconds but was then joined by a select group which included Nicole, but two of her World Cup rivals Sara Carrigan (2nd overall) and Regina Schleicher (4th). The group did though contain overall threats Judith Arndt and Mirjam Melchers, and amongst others Tour Feminin winner Joane Somarriba, team mate Modesta Vzisnauskaite and Lyne Bessette, who later dropped out of the lead group.

The next decisive moment was on the final lap when the breakaway split in two with Nicole in the front group, and when it came to the finish she took a crucial sprint from World Cup rivals Arndt who was second, and Melchers third.

Both could still catch Nicole overall by taking a first and a second in the final two races, if Nicole picked up no more points.

However 33 points , a third place, in either race would make Nicole untouchable, and it looks fairly likely that Nicole will clinch the title in Nurenberg at round 8 next weekend.

"I'm so happy. It really was fantastic, it's a dream."

"My team worked so hard and when it came to it I did my bit."

"If I'm honest I was a bit apprehensive coming into this race because I knew I wasn't
100%."

Earlier in the week I went out with Diana Ziliute and Zita Urbanaite and I wasn't going too well on the hills. But I obviously got my form back during the three days rest!"

When Joane Sommaribia upped the pace I was always able to follow, and when Mirjam Melchers tried to get away I had no problem following her wheel."

"But I also owe this race to my team who gave me deluxe service"

"Modesta was an absolute star, and I was really fresh for the sprint because they gave me such a good ride. What she did was amazing chasing everthing down for me, and at one point Zita was riding in the wind to protect me when Jeannie Longo attacked. They were all amazing."

"When nine of us got away without Sara Carrigan and Regina Schleicher I knew I'd eliminated them from the overall. And I thought as long as I beat one of Judith Arndt and Melchers in the sprint then I would only have one to watch in the last two races."

"As it turned out I beat both of them and am so close to winning the series now."

"At the finish Joane went early. She wasn't quite as strong as in the tour and she doesn't have a sprint. Then Melchers led out, but went a bit too soon. I was then able to come up the inside, and even though she tried to close me in I was able to take it comfortably."

"Plouay is special to me after I won my firs Worlds here in 2000. Now I have even better memories. There were so many British fans here too, and the support was fantastic."

"I had lots of congratulations after the race from my team and from other riders like Joane."

"It really was a great day!"