A record breaker at every stage of her career, Nicole Cooke MBE became the first rider to win the Olympic Road Race and World Road Race Championships in the same year, and is one of a handful of riders to win both the Tour de France and Giro D’Italia grand tours.
As a pioneer for cycling in Britain Nicole had to create her own path to the top, the first British winner of a world road race title for 18 years, first ever British winner of a World Cup, Grand Tour and first ever British World Number 1. As she soon found out, she had to compete against more than just her competitors and is widely commended for having campaigned for recognition and equality for female cyclists, and spoken out against doping in sport. Nicole’s legacy has ensured that cycling in Britain, and the wider international scene, is now in a better place for those who follow.
Nicole wrote her autobiography, The Breakaway, which is a very personal account of her racing career, beginning with her first experiences of cycling on tandem holidays with her family through to leaving home at 18 to move to Italy, and the various high and lows on the way to reaching the heights of Olympic gold.