British Cycling of 2010 and British Cycling of 2000 ? Maybe 2 entirely different animals?
One responded to Cooke's talent by ignoring her request to ride at the Olympics. The official line was that her win in the 1999 Nat Champ RR was a "fluke". The WCPP came back to ride a Jo Bruton race - the Cheshire Classic, in early 2000. I did not hear it, but one who did, stated that the BC National Coach was mouthing off that nobody would get near the WCPP girls, they would fill the top 6 places. This was to be the first meeting again of the WCPP and a 17 year old Cooke, since the "fluke".
The result was WCPP 2nd, 3rd 4th & 5th. And the identical 1, 2, 3. Cooke showed it was no fluke. Tough course and the top 3 came to the top as before.
Not going to make your coaching credentials or your organisation look much good, with the BC press officer & Nat Coach having put you all out on the washing line like that.
The National Champs that year was a travesty. Somewhere in my loft is the Cycling Weekly with the report and a lovely letter in from somebody there describing the farce as a WCPP with riders drafted in from the MTB squad and any other support they could drum up, attacked Cooke every couple of KM for most of the race, all queued up on her wheel. Through the feed zone, the lot.
And then those who went to the Olympics did what ?
Who started throwing stones ? Maybe the Cookes pointed out a few uncomfortable facts. That is never going to win you any plaudits. I have heard stories on both sides. Nicole was coming at it from "I am going to win the Olympic Road Race Gold Medal", apparently stated when she was 12, and this in a country where an odd pursuit medal every few years was as good as it got. I guess that means that "fools" standing on the path are legitimate targets that need to be disposed with as efficiently as possible. So there are going to be some very bruised egos coming out of the bushes at the side of the road, seeking some sort of revenge, after the tank has passed by.
In 40 years I have had some good bosses and some rubbish bosses. Wow do the crap co-workers bitch about the good bosses when they nail them good and proper. To the rest of us, "well son, it should have happened sooner".
I sincerely hope BC are now professionally supporting Cooke. What little we hear on the Women's scene leaves so much scope for things to be going on, about which we have no clue. Just how did Skyter Shipping get to leave it so late in the day before announcing that they were not sponsoring ? What is happening to the Women's scene with all the races ? With all that going on there are going to be tensions.