Norwich’s London 2012 Olympian Emma Pooley considers quitting cycling
Norwich cycling star Emma Pooley has admitted she may quit the sport after this month's World Championships in the Netherlands.
The 29-year-old former Norwich High School for Girls pupil is due to spend most of her winter finishing a doctorate in geo-technical engineering at her home in Zurich, while current employers – Dutch professional team AA Drink-Leontien.nl – are set to be disbanded once the season ends.
'I might take a year off or I might stop, I haven't really decided yet,' said Pooley. 'I don't want to race and race really badly, so it depends if I could find a time that would let me work around my PhD commitments, which I probably could.
'But I'm just not sure how I feel about it at the moment. I'm going to wait and see. At the end of the season, after the World Championships, it'll be a bit clearer in my head and I'll be able to make a decision.'
Pooley, 2010 world road time trial champion, took silver in the discipline at the Beijing Olympics but missed out on a medal in London.
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And Pooley admitted her situation is made trickier with her team's departure.
'It's not that easy in the women's cycling scene because there aren't enough teams,' Pooley added. 'Every year a team or two seems to go under, so every year there are always lots of good riders looking for places. I think I could find a team, I've talked to a few.
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Talking to BBC Norfolk, Pooley added: 'If I was a male cyclist, I wouldn't have to work after I finish cycling. It's a bit like football. The wages are much higher, not at all levels, but at the level I've got to in women's cycling the disparity in pay is quite incredible.'