Gender equality in cycling - Nicole Cooke via Sports Watch Bristol - @SportWatch_
Nicole Cooke is no ordinary cyclist. Not only has she won Olympic gold and the women’s equivalent of the Tour de France (the Grand Boucle in 2006), she had to do it despite the barriers she faced – broken contracts, unpaid wages, injury and drugs cheats, all of which she documented in her ground-breaking autobiography, “The Breakaway – My Story.”
A staunch fighter for gender equality in cycling, Cooke wants to level the playing field, and believes fans and media coverage can drive the change. She kindly took the time to answer our role model questions at this year’s Women’s Sport Trust awards ceremony.
What was your first experience of sport? How did that develop to where you are now?
Well my first experience of sport was just growing up as a kid in a fairly sporty family, where we did everything – whether it was cycling, running, games, anything. I did all the school sports and loved it. My dad used to race in cycling so that’s where the cycling background comes from. They weren’t pushing me into cycling at all. My parents would say, try other things, try tennis. But I really wanted to do some races. I did some races, and enjoyed it. I was wanting to try and succeed in cycling, and my mum and dad supported me along the way. So I was always looking towards the next level, the next championship.
