 Cooke begins the defence of her World Cup crown on Saturday |
Welsh cyclist Nicole Cooke warmed up for her World Cup defence by winning the Geelong Tour in Victoria, Australia, her first race of the year. The Raleigh rider, 23, was the overall leader for all three days of the race, although she did not win any stages.
Cooke finished fourth behind Tina Pic in Thursday's final stage, having held off big attacks from the T-Mobile team.
"It's awesome to start with a win," said Cooke," whose first World Cup race of the year is on Saturday in Geelong.
"The T-Mobile team threw down the gauntlet and opened up the racing, it required effort on all three days.
"But with my team-mates we were able to control the event."
The victory makes Cooke the first non-Australian winner of the Geelong Tour.
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