Cycling: Cooke signs deal for senior debut

Following a rocky winter of failed negotiations with several teams, the British triple world champion Nicole Cooke will make her long-awaited debut in the senior women's international cycling peloton as part of Deia-Pragma-Colnago.

Cooke, 18, whose saddlebags already contain two junior world road championships, as well as mountain bike and world time trial gold medals, has signed a one-year deal with the squad backed by the Basque newspaper Deia and the Italian advertising agency Pragma.

Cooke did not take part in Tuesday's team presentation in Bilbao, but she has already received a warm welcome from the squad's other leading star, the double Tour de France and Giro Femenin winner, Joanne Somarriba.

"Obviously we've heard a great deal about Nicole and are delighted to have her with us," Somarriba said. "Riders with so much potential so young are hard to come by. Making the move from junior cycling to the seniors is a big step and we'll have to see how she responds."

Despite wide-ranging predictions that Cooke is destined for greatness, the transition from British-based amateur to the international professional scene has proved tricky for the rider from South Wales.

A contract with an Italian squad collapsed when the deal was close to being signed, while a possible agreement with a Dutch squad also failed to materialise. Contacts with Deia-Pragma-Colnago were followed by rapid negotiations in the last few weeks and have proved more fruitful.

Cooke will be riding in the Italian-based arm of the 14-strong team, where she seems certain to find a multinational flavour to the new squad. A fluent Italian speaker, she will be the only Briton in a line-up also containing four Ukrainians, a Frenchwoman, a Russian and a Belorussian.

Whilst Somarriba is leading the Basque branch, it is already planned that both her and Cooke will take part in either the Giro or the Tour this year, as well as various World Cup one-day races. Cooke's wishes to take part in the Commonwealth Games have also been respected.

Alasdair Fotheringham writes for Cycling Weekly