And tell me who she is, again ...

With victory in the Tour de France, Nicole Cooke became our most successful sportswoman. So why don't we know more about her?

Nicole Cooke is about to catch a flight to Switzerland. After the most successful year of her professional career, the world number-one women's cyclist, the first male or female rider from these shores ever to top the rankings, must begin training for the new season, which starts in February. She cannot wait.

Her achievements in 2006 included victories in the women's Tour de France and the British road race championship. She also won, for the second time in three years, the World Cup - a season-long series of races of which she was the first British champion. Now, as she sits over early morning coffee at the Hotel du Vin in Brighton, the 23-year-old says she could have done even better.

'At the start of the year my target was to win the World Cup, the world championships and a big stage race, such as the Tour de France. But at the worlds I didn't get it right on the day [she won bronze]. Even so, it was a fantastic year. And I'm on the up. My time-trialling has improved, which makes me a better competitor.'

Previous honours include the Giro d'Italia in 2004 and a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Yet, despite her achievements, recognition eludes Cooke. It is hard to find anyone who knows much about her. Although she should be a strong candidate for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award, she has no chance of winning.

Why are women cyclists so little known? Her answer is direct: the sport, she says, is sexist. 'In October, the International Cycling Union [the governing body] were publicising a gala to celebrate their overall winners of 2006. It featured all males. No female cyclists at all', she laughs. 'There could be so much more coverage of our sport,' she continues. 'World Cups come and go and the journalists don't attend. The things I can influence are my race results. Those are what motivate me.'

Cooke grew up in Bridgend, in south Wales, and discovered the thrill of cycling when she shared a tandem with brother Craig on a family holiday. She started racing at the age of 11. Her father, Anthony, a physics teacher, was her first coach. Was he pushy? 'It's very easy for people to make assumptions about my dad and I laugh about them,' she says. 'The reality is that, rather than be interested in hard training, any youngster would rather play with their friends, wouldn't they?' To translate: he was pushy, then.

At the Athens Olympics in 2004, the day before Cooke's 119km road race, Anthony was caught painting her name on the street. He was arrested, but released without charge. 'What he was doing is part of the cycling culture, like wearing a football scarf,' Cooke says. 'So it was, "Come on, let's get Nicole's name in there first because there won't be any space later".' An Olympic medal remains the one missing from Cooke's collection. She was favourite going into the road race but, after crashing into a barrier, she ended up fifth. In the 15-mile time trial at Athens, she finished 19th of 25 riders. At the time, she was devastated. Now, she says: 'I was very happy and proud of my performance but very disappointed not to a get a medal.'

She is irritated that there are not more Olympic cycling events for women. 'A man can race in 11 events, a woman in only seven. Straightaway a man is likely to have more success, and so more publicity and sponsorship interest.'

Men's cycling is tainted by drug abuse and cheating. David Millar, the Scottish rider, was found guilty of using EPO in 2004 and is racing again after a two-year ban. 'There are rules in place and it's not like he broke them by accident,' Cooke says. 'David knew exactly what he was doing. If you do something like that you should only get one chance. There's no room to have a second.'

Cooke concedes that it is lonely competing at the highest level. 'Sport is very stressful. You are trying to keep your body at its peak for eight months of the year. It makes you more susceptible to colds, makes you perhaps more fragile. You have to find a balance. I thrive on the competition but there has to be a time where there isn't that pressure. Of late, I've been riding every day without any pressure, just enjoying it.'

Does she have a boyfriend to ride alongside? 'That is none of your business,' she says, smiling; the only secret she will share is that there will be 'an Italian pizza with the thin crust' waiting when she returns to Lugano, her new base in the Swiss-Italian Alps.

As for the future, she still has that Olympic gold to win in 2008. Then more of us may have heard of her.

Today's best video

Today in pictures