CYCLING

Joe Cooper: Champion cyclist out, but not down

By Aaron S Lee

New Zealand road race and time trial champion not discouraged by Tour de Korea disqualification, turns focus to Australian NRS and regaining national titles.
 

SEOUL—After driving a 10-man breakaway for more than 60km, New Zealand’s Joe Cooper (Avanti-Isowhey Sport) found himself disqualified for pacing back to the group after puncturing with 100km to go on stage 6 of the 2016 Tour de Korea in ChungJu on Friday, June 10.

Known to be a stickler to the UCI rulebook, the ruling to disqualify the former national road race and time trial champion caught everyone by surprise – especially Cooper.

“I was riding hard all day, and then I got a puncture,” Cooper explained to NZ Bike. “The change was a bit slow, so I jumped behind the car briefly while trying to get back into the front group and 5km later I’m in the team car not racing anymore.

When asked if he was given any indication by the commissaire he was in the wrong, the former Oceania time trial champion said, “no.”

“The officials never gave me a warning,” claimed Cooper. “There is no way to get back to the front of the race at that sort of speed (50km/h). It’s only natural to get paced back to where you were because you shouldn’t lose a race due to a puncture … but that’s racing.”

The Avanti sports director Steve Waite backs the 2014 Oceania individual time trial champion.

“Coops is known to be one of the most honest guys in the bunch,” said new Avanti sports director Steve Waite, who joins the team after spending four years at the head of African Wildlife Safaris (AWS). “I talked to him afterwards and he was simply trying to ride back to the very break he drove for the majority of the race until that point.

“He had a genuine mechanical and he was getting the appropriate support, so there was just a bit of miscommunication,” he continued. “Joe is an exceptionally strong athlete and he took it to the people today and put himself in contention for the win.

“He’s disappointed to be out of the race and not be there for his teammates for the final two stages, but he would have had to burn some energy getting back on after the flat regardless.”

As for what’s ahead for Cooper, who took third on general classification at 2015 Herald Sun Tour, he says he will not join the team on their upcoming European tour, but instead will return home to Melbourne to turn his attention toward the NRS and an old familiar target.

“Time to go back to Australia and focus on the NRS,” said the 30-year-old Wellington native, who is hoping to renew his contract with Avanti next year. “I would like to win another series title and before I walk away from the sport, I would like to win another national road race championship again, as well as a Tour of Southland.

“I know I can win it, now I just have to do it.”

Once on the radar of several WorldTour teams prior suffering a pelvis fracture during a crash at the Tour of Toowoomba in 2014, Cooper believes his chances to be called are quickly fading away.

“No one wants to pay someone my age for something they can pay a 20-year-old to do,” he said, a day after teammate Pat Shaw (AUS) announced his retirement at the same age as Cooper. “But I’m fine it now and just want to race for a few more years to make sure the bug is gone and then try to move on with life.”

As for what’s next after cycling, Cooper is still admittedly uncertain.

“I don’t know what I want to do after cycling,” he said. “That’s why I need to keep riding so I can have time to decide.”

Aaron S. Lee is a pro cycling and triathlon journalist for Eurosport and contributor to NZ Bike.  
Image credit: Daebong Kim