 Nicole Cooke must now look forward to the Fleche Wallonne |
Nicole Cooke fell victim to a wrong turn in Sunday's Tour of Flanders, as the World Cup race ended in farce. The Welsh cyclist was part of a chasing pack of more than 20 riders who mistakenly followed a control car off the marked route and were unclassified.
But with so many of Europe's leading riders falling foul, organisers decided not to award any World Cup points.
"It's obviously disappointing, but the rules say it's up to the riders to know the course," Cooke told her website.
The 21-year-old Safi-Pasta Zara rider must now wait until 20 April for the next round of the World Cup, the Fleche Wallonne in Belgium.
Ahead of that major race, Cooke has the GP Wallonie as a warm-up event on 17 April.
The Flanders race was won by Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel, who built a formidable lead with breakaway companion Susanne Ljungskog, before accelerating away from her Buitenpoort-Flexpoint team-mate along the final 200 metres.
With the result of the race being declared null and void for World Cup purposes, Oenone Wood - who along with Cooke took the wrong turn - remains the overall series leader.
MMIX
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