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Pooley to lead Great Britain team at Aviva Women's Tour

By Cycling News

published 1 June 2016

British rider continues comeback toward Rio Olympics

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Emma Pooley (England) took silver in the Commonwealth Games time trial(Image credit: AFP Photo)

Lizzie Armitstead caught and passed England teammate Emma Pooley to win Commonwealth Games gold.(Image credit: AFP)

Emma Pooley (Lotto Belisol Ladies) wins the final stage(Image credit: Giro Rosa)

Emma Pooley powers up the Calvario(Image credit: April Pedersen Santinon/biciveneto)

Emma Pooley (Lotto-Belisol Ladies), Katie Archibald (GBr) Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International) and Dame Sarah Storey (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International)(Image credit: John Pierce PhotoSport International)

Emma Pooley of GB went for her usual setup: Cervelo P3, team issue skinsuit and helmet (not quite flush though), a mahoosive chainring, rear mounted Di2 battery and a shallow front wheel. She finished 6th, which was a little disappointing for her(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)

British Cycling announced Wednesday the Great Britain Cycling Team that will compete at the 2016 Aviva Women's Tour. Olympic silver medallist and former time trial world champion Emma Pooley will lead the six-rider team as she continues her comeback ahead of the Rio Olympics.

Great Britain's Olympic Games team takes shape with Armitstead and Pooley at the helm

Armitstead: Other nations will be scared of Pooley and me at the Olympics

Emma Pooley to the rescue

Armitstead: Emma Pooley is one of the strongest athletes in the world - Video

The Aviva Women's Tour is the 10th round of the inaugural Women's WorldTour. The race will be held from June 15-19 and travel to host cities Suffolk, Norfolk, Warwickshire, the East Midlands and the Staffordshire Moorlands, before the race finishes in Kettering.

Pooley will be supported by Jessie Walker, Grace Garner and Team Breeze riders Mel Lowther, Abbie Dentus and Annasley Park.

"This year's Women's Tour promises to be a fantastic event," said Julian Winn, director. "As one of the races on the new UCI Women's WorldTour calendar, the tour will give our riders the chance to gain valuable experience riding against high-quality opposition in front of home crowds."

Pooley retired from professional bike racing in 2014 and has been competing in triathlon and duathlon on the world-class stage. She announced a possible comeback with her eye on the Olympic Games in Rio last winter, citing the hilly courses for the road race and the time trial as her reason for targeting the Olympics.

The UCI recently announced the list of 38 national teams, along with the quotas of athletes for each, for the women's road cycling events. The road races will be held on August 6 and 7 in Fort Copacabana, and the time trials will be held on August 10 in Pontal-Barra.

Great Britain have qualified three spots for the road race and one spot for the time trial. However, the rider who does the time trial must also compete in the road race. Lizzie Armitstead has qualified for one spot because she won the World Championships road race in Richmond last September. It is largely assumed that Pooley will also be on the team, leaving one spot still open.