Nicole Cooke - Later Career: 2009-2012

Later Career: 2009-2012

Cooke was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. She was awarded the Transworld Sport "Female Athlete of the Year" title in recognition of her achievements in 2008. She was also awarded the Sunday Times Sportswoman Of The Year award.

In June 2009 Cooke captured the Giro del Trentino title and won her national championship for the tenth time.

After Cooke's Vision1 Cycling Team finished 7th in the 2009 UCI Team Rankings, Cooke closed the Team due to difficulties attracting a major sponsor as the Global Financial Crisis hit. Cooke signed for Equipe Nuernberg Versicherung for 2010. The Team Management had put the team together without signing a main sponsor and in December announced the team had collapsed. Despite a signed contract, the Management did not fulfill their obligations leaving the riders without a team or salary. Cooke raced and trained with the British cycling team in the 2010 season and won a stage at the Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira along with a 5th Place in the Commonwealth Games Women's Road Race and a 4th Place in the World Championships Road Race.

In November 2010 Cooke joined the Italian based Mcipollini-Giordana team for 2011 and won Stage 5 of the Giro D'Italia and took 4th Place in the World Championships Road Race. In October Cooke won the GP Noosa, Australia.

Joining Faren - Honda for 2012, Cooke scored a win on Stage 6 of the Energiewacht Tour in Holland. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she competed in the road race.

Cooke announced her retirement from the sport on 14 January 2013 at the age of 29.

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