Fresh start with Vacansoleil

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Baden Cooke had some question marks about his 2009 team(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

An interview with Baden Cooke, January 14, 2009

Injury and team woes account for some of that frustration. He rode the 2008 Tour with Barloworld but crashed out on the twelfth stage of the race. Prior to that, Cooke missed out on the 2006 and 2007 editions; he was with Unibet during those seasons and while the team didn't make the cut in 2006 due to its size – it was a developing Professional Continental team then – it fully expected to be there the following year due to the ProTour license it had obtained. However, a bitter struggle between the UCI and ASO saw the team suffer, with the French organisers appearing to use Unibet as a pawn in those battles and blocking it from its events.

Cooke's team woes have continued more recently. He was enticed away from Barloworld by a large contract with Rock Racing, and was initially happy with the deal. According to Cooke, the American team had told its riders around the time of his signing that it would be taking out a Pro Continental license and riding the major European events in 2009. However, Michael Ball's team then withdrew its application and was set to have a far smaller programme on that continent. Financial problems made the situation even worse and, facing up to a six-month contract rather than the agreed two-year deal, the Australian rider jumped ship.

Amongst Cooke's results in 2008 were wins on stages of the Geelong Bay Classic Series, the Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas y Villalba and the Herald Sun Tour. He also took top three placings on stages of the Giro della Provincia Di Reggio Calabria, the Tour de Picardie, the Euskal Bizikleta and the GP CTT Correios de Portugal. His return to the Tour de France saw him nab fifth on stage five, his sole top ten placing in the race before crashing out.

Het Volk, now named Het Nieuwsblad, takes place early in the season, and he believes he has an advantage. "Coming from the Australian summer, we are always in good condition at that time of year," he said. "Obviously Het Volk is the first goal. Sometimes the big riders are delaying their peak for the Tour of Flanders and whatever. As an Australian, I think it is the most winnable Classic. I was sixth there a couple of years ago, so it is something that I think I could win."

As Cooke previously told Cyclingnews, he is planning on suing Michael Ball about what happened with Rock Racing. Essentially, Cooke says he was given a two-year contract and told he'd be riding the big European events; fast forward a few weeks, and he said he was asked to make do with a six-month deal racing largely in the US, with the assurance that his original two-year deal would be honoured if – only if - a new sponsor was found.

Up until that point, other members of team management were assuring Cooke that things were fine. "Even the day before I spoke to Michael Ball, Gary Hanson, the guy I had contact with on the team - who himself had constant contact with Michael Ball - promised me that my deal was sound. He promised me that my deal was set in stone, no problem. He said that the only thing that might happen is that the race programme might be less strong."

Cooke spoke to Cyclingnews at the start of this month, and at that point in time he felt that the mood was bleak. "I have spoken to numerous riders, some of the best riders, and they are desperately trying to get out of the team," he stated. "They see the ship sinking. Obviously me leaving won't help the team, because it makes a potential sponsor think twice when a rider leaves as it really doesn't show any confidence in the team, but I don't think anyone would blame me for leaving when you go from a two-year deal to a six-month deal."