Pooley to ride with AA Drink?

Emma Pooley
(image credit: Fanny Schertzer CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Dutch cycling website Wielerland.nl certainly thinks so, reporting this morning that the British star may be considering signing up with the AA Drink-Leontien team as the legendary Garmin-Cervélo women's team falls apart in the wake of sponsor BigMat's withdrawal of funding.

The situation is complicated somewhat by the fact that Pooley already has a full contract with Garmin-Cervélo, meaning that AA Drink could be asked to pay her old team in order to be able to take her.

Other reports this morning reveal that Dutch time trial specialist Iris Slappendel was spotted out on a training ride with Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten and others from the new Rabobank women's team. Slappendel admitted that she had been there but said she could not confirm or deny rumours until the Cervélo team receives further information from manager Jonathon Vaughters.

Pooley is one of the most successful British riders of all time and has twice been National Time Trial Champion. Unusually for a rider who excels in time trials, she is also a very strong climber with few rivals in the hills; winning the Mountains Classification at this year's Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen.