Emma Pooley: Q&A

Name: Emma Pooley
Nationality: British
Date of birth: Oct 3 1982
Height: 1.57m
Weight: 50kg
Team: Garmin-Cervelo
Strengths: Climber and time trial

Emma Pooley, 28, is the British road race champion after she, alongside team-mate Lizzie Armitstead, denied Nicole Cooke on the tough hilly course around Pendle in June 2010.

Pooley made a name for herself in 2008 after a selfless ride in Beijing led to Cooke winning a gold medal in the women's Olympic road race.

The following year Pooley won the Grande Boucle Féminine, a stage race often referred to as the women's Tour de France, the GP de Plouay and her first national title in the time trial championships.

Just four years after turning professional Pooley, who only took up cycling while studying at Cambridge University, enjoyed a phenomenal season as she won the Flèche Wallonne Féminine, Tour de l'Aude, Giro del Trentino, retained her GP de Plouay title and won the British road and time trial titles.

In September Pooley became the first British woman to win the world time trial title and her first rainbow jersey.

The Garmin-Cervelo rider has been out of action since she broke her collarbone during a training ride on April 12 but will return to racing at the women’s invitational time trial of the Tour of California on May 20.

Pooley lives in Switzerland where she is studying for a PhD in geotechnical engineering.

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What's your earliest memory of cycling?
When my dad took the stabilisers off my BMX when I was about five years-old and pushing me off on the grass. Without the stabilisers.

It was a bit scary. I’m sure I fell off. I know I fell off on the gravel around then. That’s my second memory.

Who has been the biggest influence on your cycling career?
My coach Tim. There are probably two people actually. The friend who persuaded me to go to my first road race when I was a triathlete. She’s called Brynn. She said ‘oh come along, do a road race its lots of fun, it’ll be the hardest race you’ve ever do.’ If it wasn’t for her I’d have never have gone to a road race.

And who is your sporting hero?
Paula Radcliffe and Kelly Holmes. They were my heroes when I was a runner.

There are lots of cyclists I admire but I grew up as a runner. I still remember the look on Kelly Holmes’s face as she crossed the line when she won her second gold medal [after winning the 1,500 metres final] in Athens [in 2004]. It was just incredible. She’s so modest too.

What book are you reading right now?
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but in German. I’m trying to improve my German. It’s a bit of a struggle though.

The area of Switzerland I live in is German speaking. But I speak French, German and Spanish.

British cycling is enjoying a renaissance. However, women's road cycling has slipped below the radar. How frustrating is this?
Extremely. I mean, women's cycling in Britain has been so successful. Just look at what Nicole has done. It's really impressive.

I don't understand why there has been this huge push men's cycling in the form of Team Sky but there's no women's team. There should at least be an option for female riders from Britain to ride fro a pro' team for the country. I think it's just because it's not really cool, unfortunately. It makes me cross that they're not interested in us.

"I've had people accuse me of being over-demanding and saying that I should just be grateful that I am doing it at all - and I am. I know I'm super-lucky that I get paid to ride my bike and I've had a great many opportunities and British Cycling has supported me in terms of kit and help with funding when I started out. That was super-helpful and that's all great. But I just think women's cycling could be a bit better supported. Especially in the media. I mean, when they do these Sky rides they get the male Team Sky riders and then they get some model to do the women's one. There are plenty of female cyclists they could ask.

Maybe you were all busy that day?
I don't get asked about things like the Sky rides. I mean, I really like doing the sportives and just cycling with people who cycle because they enjoy it. But no, they've never asked me if I want to do one of the Sky rides.

Just look at Lizzie [Armitstead] or Victoria Pendleton, you know they're not exactly going to put people off cycling.

Did you bother applying for Olympics tickets, or as an Olympic medallist do you get free tickets?
Well, I didn't bother applying as, obviously, I'm hoping to be competing. I think you see it better on television, so if I'm not there I'll watch it on TV.

What on earth is geotechnical engineering?
Geotechnical engineering deals with soil basically. Anything below the ground. Everything from tunnelling - for roads or raillines; rubbish dumps and how you seal them. My PhD, though, is about was mining waste.

So, are you the smartest rider in the peloton?
No not at all. I'm pretty dumb at tactics. The smartest riders are the ones you never see; until the end when they win.

When your professional riding career ends are you likely to pursue a career in cycling or move into engineering?
Not really sure. I'm not sure if anyone would employ me. I was kind of hoping I'd open a cafe and make cakes . . . but I don't really know right now.

Have you ridden a Boris bike?
No. What's a Boris bike? A bike in the shape of Boris? What a horrble thought. I think, though, that they're a really good idea. We have a similar scheme Zurich. I think they're free. You have to leave a deposit so you don't nick the bike, but basically it's a free bike hire scheme.

Do you Tweet?
No. I'm not a twit, so I don't Tweet. I'm into the bare minimum of social media thank you very much. If I want to talk to friends or family I'll give them a call or send them a letter by snail-mail. And if there were such a network as 'shhhh' then I would be on that.