Cooke expected to race with British national squad

Current Olympic and World road race champion Nicole Cooke is expected to line up next week with the British national squad at the GP de Plouay-Bretagne after the virtual collapse of her trade team, Vision 1 Racing.

British newspaper The Guardian reported on Friday that Cooke is likely to return to the British national squad as she makes final preparations to defend her World Championship title next month in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

Earlier this month Vision 1 Racing cancelled the remainder of its 2009 racing schedule citing financial problems, after less than twelve months in existence. The team was set up by Cooke and former Swift Racing manager Stefan Wyman in October 2008 and had been designed as a development squad for younger riders. Wyman left the squad in May this year.

Despite the financial woes of her trade team and recent illness, Cooke has shown glimpses of the form that saw her win both the World and Olympic titles last year. She won a stage on her the overall title Giro del Trentino Alto Adige and took her tenth British national road race championship in June.

The penultimate round of the International Cycling Union's (UCI) women's World Cup series, the GP de Plouay-Bretagne, will take place on August 22. She currently sits 18th in the UCI's World Cup standings, with 65 points.

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