Emma Pooley attacks British Cycling over not selecting any women for World Championship time trial

You would have thought that there'd be a British girl or 2 floating around Ponferrada in the week between the women's TTT and the women's RR. If one of them wants the ride, let them do it.

but its not unreasonable that BC had simply assumed Emma Ps availability for selection for the Worlds ITT, having been their main ITT pick for the last 7-8 years, though they didnt enter anyone in 2013 (oddly missed in most of the write ups on this issue) because Emma was taking a sabbatical.

And so theyve simply been caught with no plan B (sound familiar at all), because Emma only retired a week before the Commonwealth Games ITT,and then suddenly the track dates clash becomes an issue.

we know by Rio, the team pursuit squad will be down to 4/5 so there will be an ITT specialist choice available.

BC have made the correct choice, BC is not funded for "gaining experience" for riders, its funded by medals and so if the limited money could be spent elsewhere on actual results then furry muff.

How far down? Well, if you're looking at development (like, oooh, the track teams have been doing since the Olympics, placing that as a priority so they get medals *at* the Olympics) then someone who is young and has the potential to improve. I won't name names, I don't know the field well enough, but I suspect EP does...

The track teams are working on an Olympic cycle to target their medals and between Olympics then they are willing to deprecate medal chances to develop things. That won't work with an annual competition like the Worlds but there again there'll be a women's TT at Rio. How will we do there, with nobody willing to put any effort in to developing now? Or perhaps we'll not bother entering, what with having no realistic medal chances? I wonder how the not-quite-so-world-beating cross-country MTB squads would feel about that as a BC general policy?

The world's first cycle-powered bandwagon is going to come from Road CC and the comments I'm sure.

The current national champion (Pooley), the previous national champion (Rowsell) and the next obvious choice (Archibald) are all unavailable.

How far down do you want them to go, just to give someone experience?

You could also argue that dredging someone up just to throw them into a world championship with no realistic hopes is not the best way to develop talent.

Do the men stand a chance in the road race? They will feature in the race, even if they don't win or get a medal. They won't be there just to make up numbers.

Based on these criteria, are they pulling the entire men's road race team? Without a Cavendish, I don't see a medal...

Not surprising that BC aren't supporting women. Has been like this for 15 years.
What about the experience it gives to young, talented and hard working women who have trained for this? Should be paying them back for their hard work - not just thinking of the medals.

BC's (MTB) web site proudly proclaims, "Earlier Great Britain’s Alice Barnes also produced an impressive ride in the women’s under-23 race, taking seventh in her first year in the category".

Was this rider a clear medal prospect? If she impressed in coming 7th and had never ridden the category before I suspect not, but I certainly wouldn't say BC were wrong to send her to Norway to get the experience. That does rather set up not sending someone to Spain for some experience in the Elite Women's TT as being a double standard though.

Sod this! Once my BC membership runs out in November i am not re-newing it.

Women have no chance in getting ahead. It's 2014 for crying out loud

No change of attitude at the BC boys' club since Nicole retired then?

Breaking news shocker! Emma Pooley is whinging again. No-one, but no-one, could have predicted *that*!

And there was I, thinking that BC was one of the better funded national bodies around....

As usual, Pooley is 100% right. If we don't invest in bringing on new talent, where will the medals come from come Rio '16 (this IS an Olympic discipline after all)

Such is the nature of GB's narrow focus on Olympic medals (and, I suspect, a persistent lack of real commitment to women's road racing).

If they are taking bikes, staff etc for the road races and the men's TT then it wouldn't be a stretch to include someone like Elinor Barker or another of the young 'uns so they get the experience.

They have entered 4 for the men's TT but only Brad and Alex have a chance of a medal (no disrespect intended to Steve Cummings or Geraint Thomas!).

Very disappointing.

I am somewhat aghast, it seems to make no sense...even if one of the wiggle girls can't do it there is talent out there and as Ms Pooley states, experience is a great thing

I imagine Jo Rowsell would do a very good TT. She smashed my PB on a local 25 course.

When British Cycling do allow women to race the TT, they don't get a spare TT bike on the roof of the car like the men do.