Great Britain’s long list for the women’s Olympic Games road race will soon be shortlisted with Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley already ear-marked in for two of the potential spots. Under the qualification rules Great Britain currently have four places for the women’s race, however that is expected to drop to three before the Olympics later this summer.
With Armitstead a certainty to lead the team, given her status as world champion, and Emma Pooley eyeing up a return to professional cycling and a possible tilt at the time trial and road race, the team selectors have a number of tough decisions to make over the coming months.
“In terms of places, it’s more than likely to drop to three so that’s what we’re predicting at this moment in time although we sit here holding four,” Great Britain’s head coach Shane Sutton told Cyclingnews.
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“There’s a long list and that’s about to be turned into a short list very soon. I’ve had some discussions and emails today with Emma Pooley and everyone is well aware of her ambitions to come back and ride the time trial and road race.
“Lizzie has come up with dates for travelling and her entourage that she will have around her. That’s all been done, and on the periphery of that we have the likes of Nikki Harris, Alice Barnes, Hannah Barnes, Lucy Garner, and Dani King. We have quite a big group that we’ll be looking from, with the likes of Jessie Walker also.”
The course in Rio certainly suits a rider who can climb and Armitstead will certainly fancy her chances if she can replicate the form that helped her win the World Cup and the World Championships in 2015. Pooley is a pure climber and although she has concentrated on middle distance trialthons, she won an Olympic time trial medal in 2008. Her and Armitstead combined well in the Commonwealth Games in 2014, when Armistead came away with the gold medal and Pooley the silver.
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