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Emma Pooley signs for Lotto-Belisol

British rider returns to top flight racing after focusing on PhD

Emma Pooley is to return to top-flight racing in 2014 after signing for Belgian outfit, Lotto-Belisol.

The 31-year-old former world time trial champion has raced sporadically during 2013 for non-UCI registered Swiss team Bigla Cycling Team, and won a stage as well as the overall in the Tour Languedoc Rousillon.

The former Cambridge University triathlon and cross-country blue also won the Swissman Xtreme Triathlon this year.

Pooley's prime focus this year has been on finishing her PhD in geotechnical engineering at ETH in Zurich, where she lives.

However, she has also found time to promnote the campaign calling on ASO to run a women's Tour de France.

Pooley teamed up with Marianne Vos, Kathryn Bertine and the triathlete, Chrissie Wellington to launch a petition which has now gained almost 100,000 signatures.

She took Olympic silver in the time trial at Beijing in 2008 and in 2010 won the rainbow jersey in the discipline in Melbourne.

That latter season also saw her win both the British time trial and road championships - the latter breaking the dominance of Nicole Cooke, who had won the previous nine editions.

News of Pooley's signing was confirmed on the Lotto-Belisol Ladies Twitter feed yesterday with the message: " Bull's Eye! Welcome to the team @PooleyEmma!"

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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zedand3 | 10 years ago
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and is it Dr Pooley from now on?  26

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SuperG | 10 years ago
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Great to see her back in a big team, she deserves it  4

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Ghostie | 10 years ago
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She's been quite active off the bike in the last six months. Not just winning the Xtreme Triathlon but running very fast marathons in recent months. I hope Lotto-Belisol appear at the Women's Tour of Britain in May. Would be great to see Pooley back on British roads for the first time since the Olympics ITT, as well as some of her team mates like Marijn De Vries.

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Metjas | 10 years ago
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Emma, great to have you back racing big time, and hope your viva went well!

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badback | 10 years ago
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Fantastic. Nice to have a good news story.

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aslongasicycle | 10 years ago
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Great to see one of cycling's big talents back in the fray for next year.

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Flying Heron | 10 years ago
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Really feel there is a positive surge to Woman's racing, great for our sport in my mind.

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