Emma Pooley interested in road racing return for 2016 Olympic Games
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 17/12/15 9:30am
Emma Pooley is set to make a return to road racing in 2016 to take part in the Olympic Games in Rio.
Pooley retired after winning two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and has since been competing in triathlon, with a great deal of success.
But the hilly nature of the Olympic time-trial course is persuading the 33-year-old to make a comeback, where she would bid to improve on the silver medal she won at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
"I love triathlon but hilly courses don't come around that often. If I thought I could prove to myself that I have the capacity to get a medal then I would put my name in the hat," Pooley said in The Times.
"I don't want to just go to the Olympics. I didn't find them as much fun as some people. I go for the race and not for an Olympic Village experience.
"I don't want to put myself through it again, especially sacrificing some triathlon races that I enjoy, without being completely committed to going for gold."
Pooley could also take part in the road race in Rio, with the course just as demanding, and British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton said she would be a huge asset to the team as support for world road race champion Lizzie Armitstead.
She played a key role in Nicole Cooke's gold medal-winning ride in Beijing and was also a vital lieutenant when Armitstead took silver at London 2012, while finishing second behind her team-mate in Glasgow.
"I'm really pleased that Emma is back with us as that enhances our medal opportunities in the time trial, and it will also enhance Lizzie's opportunity to win if we can have a pure mountain climber like Emma with her in the road race," Sutton said in The Guardian.
"The field will fall away from behind but I don't see Emma falling behind, so I would like to see her in the road race supporting Lizzie.
"The wheels are well in motion to get Emma on track for the Games; she was sixth in the Vendee after not riding a UCI race for a while and that meant she had the points needed to qualify.
"We were looking around and on that hilly course there isn't a rider on the national front capable of making the top 15. We looked at the course and we couldn't let the chance slip by if Emma was interested so we approached her."
