New team Vacansoleil Pro Cycling has added sprinter Baden Cooke to their lineup. The Australian, who rode for Team Barloworld in 2008, was without a contract for 2009.
The 30-year-old Aussie signed on for a year with the new Dutch outfit, after things didn’t work out with the American Rock Racing squad.
Cooke’s biggest achievement was winning the green jersey competition in the 2003 Tour de France edging out fellow countrymen Robbie McEwen. Cooke has had a bad run of it in the past few years. In 2006 and 2007 he was caught up in the ASO/UCI battle unable to do cycling’s marquee events when riding for the now defunct Unibet Team.
2008 saw his return to the Tour de France with Barloworld, but without his trusty leadout man in Bradley McGee or a team dedicated to his leadout having Robbie Hunter on the team, his best result was 5th place in stage 5.
His bright spots during the year were winning stages in both the Clásica Alcobendas and the Herald Sun Tour, showing that his still has that impressive turn of speed.