Olympic road race champion Nicole Cooke and her celebrated team-mate, Emma Pooley, will join forces again tomorrow to race for Team GB in the women’s individual time trial. Cooke will return to the scene of her greatest triumph, in the shadow of the Great Wall, with hopes for a medal placing in a discipline that has not always been her forte.

The route for both the men’s and the women’s time trial is based on the same hilly circuit on the Bedaling pass that saw Cooke secure her memorable gold medal last Sunday.

Pooley, who was eighth in the women’s world time trial championship last year, has been preparing for the event and may shine on a course that features a steady 11 kilometre climb on its 23.5 kilometre route.

“Emma lacks a bit of power she’s a great little climber,” Team GB coach Chris Boardman said. “ As for Nicole, who knows — a medal is a possibility, but not a likelihood.”

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Cooke last rode the world time trial championship in 2006 and placed fifth, but her morale will be boosted further by the knowledge that there are only 24 riders in the field and that both reigning world time trial champion, Hanka Kupfernagel of Germany and silver medallist, Kristin Armstrong of the United States, finished out of the medals last Sunday.

In the men’s race, run over two laps of the same circuit, Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland is the outstanding favourite. He will not be the quickest climber, but his rapid descending, as demonstrated in the finale of Saturday’s men’s road race, will stand him in good stead.

Great Britain’s sole participant is Steve Cummings, who placed fifth in a time trial stage of the Giro d’Italia earlier this year. But the presence of established time triallists such as Cadel Evans and Michael Rogers, both of Australia, Stefan Schumacher of Germany, a double stage winner in this year’s Tour de France, and 2007 Tour champion Alberto Contador, of Spain, will limit the chances of the 27 year old from the Wirral.