2008 proved to be a bumper year for Nicole Cooke as she won Gold at the Olympics, took the UCI Road World Championships and picked up an MBE in the New Year’s honours more recently.
Cooke can now add the Transworld Sport Female Athlete of the Year Award to her list of achievements, with the Welsh born rider succeeding tennis player Justine Henin.
“I am delighted and proud to win this prestigious award. 2008 was a fantastic season for me and this award is a wonderful finish to a brilliant year!
“I am now looking forward to riding with my new team, Vision 1 Racing and hopefully 2009 will prove to be a successful and rewarding year.”
On being awarded the MBE, Nicole added: “The MBE was never something I thought about when training or racing at the Olympics or the Worlds, but it is a very nice bonus and to get it in 2008 just makes the whole season a very special one to remember.”
Following the signing of young Welsh rider Katie Curtis, Vision 1 Racing have announced the signing of another young British rider, Dani King, to its roster for 2009. Dani, from Southampton, has had an outstanding year in 2008 and will be a first year elite rider in 2009. She has gained great experience over the last few years and been a winner of events in the UK and abroad for many years.
