Victoria Pendleton

Olympic Games

World Championships

European Championships

World Cup Overview 2008 - 2012

World Cup (Ranking)

Nickname

Queen Vic. (guardian.co.uk, 28 Oct 2011)

Hobbies

Dress making, catching up with her friends, baking, shopping. (British Cycling December 2003; victoriapendleton.co.uk, 2008)

Occupation

Athlete

Education

Sports Science - Northumbria University, Newcastle, GBR

Language(s) spoken

English

Club name

Sky Track Cycling, England

Coach

Shane Sutton [national], Jan van Eijde [tactics] (GER) (guardian.co.uk, 28 Oct 2011)

Sporting relatives

She played hockey at schools level. (Times Online, 07 Jul 2007)

Debut

2002 for England, Commonwealth Games (England) (Athlete, 22 May 2003)

Injuries

She rode at the 2011 European Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, with bursitis [joint inflammation] in her right shoulder. (guardian.co.uk, 20 Oct 2011)

She was suffering with a back injury in late 2010, but still made the sprint final of the World Cup track meeting in Melbourne, Australia. The injury subsequently limited the leg strength work she was able to do in the gym. (abc.net.au, 03 Dec 2010; dailymail.co.uk, 03 Nov 2011)

Troubled by a knee injury at the start of 2008. (The Guardian, 16 Feb 2008)

Additional information

Start of sporting career
She started cycling at the age of six. (sport.guardian.co.uk, 02 Mar 2008)

Reason for taking up this sport
Her father Max was a competitive cyclist and first put her on a bike. When they went riding when she was young her dad would cycle out a long way in front and she would have to catch him up. She grew up competing with her twin brother Alex which gave her a competitive edge. "He was always stronger and faster and better technically, but he didn't have the desire," she said. (sport.guardian.co.uk, 02 Mar 2008)

Ambitions
To inspire girls to get involved with track racing and, once her cycling career is over, go skiing and coach or work in sports. (British Cycling, 31 Oct 2004; BBC Radio Four, 14 Mar 2005; dailymail.co.uk, 03 Nov 2011)

Training
She trains twice a day Monday to Friday and once on Saturday. In the early season she does a lot of hills and mountain road work, then as the track work starts, she will ride flat road stretches. She also does three weight sessions a week that help with core stability. (BCF December 2003, sport.guardian.co.uk, 02 Mar 2008)

Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning three gold medals at the 2007 World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (news.bbc.co.uk, 01 Apr 2007)

Hero
Great Britain's world and Olympic Games champions Chris Hoy and Sally Gunnell. (cyclingwekkly.co.uk, 21 Nov 2007)

Most influential person in career
Great Britain's track cycling Olympic champion Jason Queally. (victoriapendleton.co.uk, 07 Feb 2012)

Sporting philosophy / motto
"There isn't a perfect body type [for track cycling]. As a track cyclist I just have to make sure I'm as powerful as possible compared to my body weight. You don't want to grow too much in size because that would work against you aerodynamically. My strength-to-weight ratio is very high and that's probably why I've had so much success." (sport.guardian.co.uk, 02 Mar 2008)

Awards
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire [MBE] in 2009. (2012trackworlds.com.au, 04 Apr 2012)

In 2008 the University of Northumbria awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law [CDL] in recognition of her achievements. (victoriapendleton.co.uk, 07 Feb 2012)

Named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007. (Sunday Times, 20 Nov 2007)

Voted Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain's Sportswoman of the Year for 2007, the first female cyclist to win the award in 40 years since world road race champion Beryl Burton. (britishcycling.org.uk, 13 Dec 2007)

General
DECISION TO QUIT
During the 2010 World Championships in Ballerup, Denmark, she made up her mind to quit competitive cycling after finding herself laughing as she watched the early races. She still won gold in the sprint but cried openly afterwards, relieved that she would retire as world champion. She was talked out of her decision, but still had lingering doubts. "I'm still not sure if I've made the choice 100 per cent. If the Olympics were in any other country I'd not be sitting here having this conversation. I guess it boils down to the fact that I don't want to be looking at this in five years thinking: 'What if ... what if?' It's like everything you've ever done has been wiped off the board because whatever happens in London shapes my future." (guardian.co.uk, 29 Oct 2011)

NIGHTMARE
She admitted to having a real 'Olympic nightmare' in late 2010, when she dreamed of being chased by a monster with the Olympic circles burning in his flesh. (guardian.co.uk, 29 Oct 2011)

BRIDE TO BE
She will marry Australian sports scientist Scott Gardner after the 2012 London Olympic Games. "I wish I could have been married two years ago but there was no time and the logistics were difficult, what with getting all these Australians together." (dailymail.co.uk, 03 Nov 2011)

FEMININITY
She has been determined to retain and celebrate her femininity and believes body consciousness has kept a lot of women out of the sport of track cycling. "When I first stated racing internationally I would look at the girls and think, 'My gosh, do I have to cut my hair off and get really big to show I'm committed?' People would say 'She's too small, too puny, too girly. She doesn't take it seriously.' Well, I have to sit in my room for hours before I compete, so I get my eye liner perfectly straight, or do my hair. A lot of people assume I fulfil the role of a girly girl because I have to do it in order to be noticed, but that's not it. I genuinely enjoy a good dress-up and always have done. I wouldn't want to change that for the world." (ES Magazine - Standard, 14 April 2011; sport.guardian.co.uk, 02 Mar 2008)

Previous Olympics

Beijing 2008, Athens 2004