We told you about Roland Green and Cadel Evans making the roadies work their little tarmac hearts out yesterday, but one mountain bike world champion has absolutely destroyed her road compatriots.

19 year old Welsh lass, Nicole Cook, holds the Junior World Championship jerseys for mountain biking, road race and time trial and signed for the Italian pro-women’s team Deia-Pragma Colnago this season. Rather than taking her senior season debut gently though, she’s torn the top level field apart in her customary aggressive style.

American website www.velonews.com reports that Cooke stormed the Trofeo Citta’ Di Rosignano, a major event on the women’s road calendar in Italy. After giving the field a hard time all day she attacked hard on the final climb, dropping everyone but senior World Champion Rasa Polikeviciute. The main group caught them again shortly before the finish but proving her prodigious all-round talent Cooke took a clear win in the finishing sprint.

It’s now looking ominous for everyone else in the season’s first World Cup event “La Primavera Rosa” this Saturday.

We believe the phrase is “GO GIRL”

Meanwhile Britain’s other star women’s mountain biker – Caroline Alexander – has also been ripping up the road, taking 7th in the women’s Redland Classic. As Anthony Young pointed out to us in the forum, this makes her first placed mountain biketress ahead of Alison Dunlap, Alison
Sydor, Chrissy Redden and Barbara Blatter.
Things are therefore looking very positive for a repeat of Caroline’s win in the Sea Otter race next weekend.

Other members of the British World cup MTB team also raced the Redlands with Liam Killeen 31st in the men’s and Oli Beckingsale 69th.

Thanks again to Anthony for the information.