Victoria Pendleton

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Victoria Pendleton
CBE OLY
Pendleton in 2011
Personal information
Full nameVictoria Louise Pendleton[1]
NicknameQueen Vic/Queen Victoria[2][3]
Born (1980-09-24) 24 September 1980 (age 45)[4]
Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England[5]
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[4]
Weight60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st)[4]
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Amateur teams
Mildenhall Cycling Club
VC St Raphael
Professional teams
2006–2007Science in Sport / Trek
2008–2012Sky Track Cycling
Medal record
Women's track cycling
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Sprint
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Los Angeles Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2007 Palma de Mallorca Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2007 Palma de Mallorca Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2007 Palma de Mallorca Keirin
Gold medal – first place 2008 Manchester Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2008 Manchester Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2009 Pruszków Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2010 Ballerup Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2012 Melbourne Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2006 Bordeaux Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2008 Manchester Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2009 Pruszków Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2010 Ballerup Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2011 Apeldoorn Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Pruszków 500 m time trial
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Apeldoorn Sprint
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Apeldoorn Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2011 Apeldoorn Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2010 Pruszków Team sprint
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2006 Melbourne 500 m time trial

Victoria Louise Pendleton (born 24 September 1980) is a British former track cyclist who specialised in the sprint, team sprint and keirin disciplines. She is a former Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion. She won a total of three Olympic medals (two golds and one silver) during her career. In 2005, she had the distinction of becoming the first British woman to become world sprint champion.

Pendleton won a total of nine world titles, including a record-equalling six in the individual sprint between 2005 and 2012. She also won world titles in the team sprint in both 2007 and 2008, as well as in the keirin in 2007. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the sprint, and in the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the keirin, as well as a silver medal in the sprint. She also became a Commonwealth Games champion in the sprint in 2006, and a European champion in the team sprint and keirin in 2011. She retired from track cycling after the 2012 Games, and had a short career as a jockey from 2015‍–‍16. Riding Pacha Du Polder, she won her first race at Wincanton in March 2016, and finished fifth in the Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival later that month.

Pendleton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to cycling. She is also a member of the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame.

Early life

[edit]

Pendleton was born on 24 September 1980[4] to parents Max and Pauline. She has a twin brother, Alex, and an older sister, Nicola, and the family lived in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, where she grew up.[4][6] Her father was a keen amateur cyclist and former British National 8 km grass track cycling champion. He would take the nine-year-old twins out racing at the weekends and create children's races for them to compete in. She joined Mildenhall Cycling Club,[7] and as a schoolgirl, she also played hockey for Harpenden.[8][9] She attended Fearnhill School.[10]

At the age of nine, Pendleton rode her first race, a 400 m event, on the grass track at Fordham. When she was 16, assistant national track coach, Marshall Thomas, invited her to a trial in Manchester, where she cycled in a velodrome for the first time. Thomas then assumed coaching responsabilities from her father. At that time, she didn't envisage a career in cycling due to a lack of female role-models in the sport. She took a degree in sports science at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne,[11][12][13] and in her final year at university, she trained with British Cycling one week per month. After graduating in 2002, she became a full-time cyclist.[14]

Cycling career

[edit]

2002–2008

[edit]

Pendleton finished second in the 500 m time trial, 30 km points race and the sprint as well as recording a third-placed finish in the scratch race at the 2001 British National Track Championships.[15] From 2002‍–‍04, she trained at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland, under the tutelage of Frederic Magne.[16][17] Pendleton found the experience challenging, her wellbeing suffered, and she self-harmed. Pendleton frustrated Magne by veering away from her training programme and she explained "I had always feared letting down figures of authority, my dad most of all, and so I felt diminished by disappointing Fred." British Cycling sent psychiatrist Steve Peters to meet her. The two began working together, and this helped Pendleton considerably.[13] She has since stated, "If it wasn't for Steve [Peters], I don't think I'd be cycling today."[12]

Pendleton competed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where she finished fourth in the sprint. The following year, she recorded another fourth place finish in the sprint at the 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.[18] In the 2003 World Cup, she won the scratch race in Sydney,[17] and the following year, she secured victory in the sprint at the 2004 World Cup event in Manchester.[19] She then finished fourth at the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.[18] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the 500 m time trial and ninth in the sprint.[20] Pendleton later said that she was "embarassed" by her results at the Olympics and admitted that she felt "overwhelmed" by the experience. She also considered quitting the sport. Reflecting back on the Games, Pendleton said "It was a disaster. I was totally underprepared to be in a competition at that level, psychologically and physically. I'd been basically thrown to the lions."[14][21][22] At the end of the year, she won the keirin at the 2004-05 World Cup meeting in Los Angeles.[23]

In January, Pendleton competed in a subsequent meeting of the World Cup, which took place in Manchester. She claimed second place in the 500 m time trial.[24] She then won her first world championship title after finishing first in the sprint at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles. She overcame Anna Meares in the semi-finals, before triumphing against Tamilla Abassova in the final. She became the first British woman to become a track cycling world champion since Beryl Burton in 1966, and the first British woman to become world sprint champion. Afterwards, Pendleton acknowledged, "Riding against Anna Meares in the semi-final was the hardest part of this. I'd never beaten her before and she nailed me in the Commonwealth Games [...] My coach Shane Sutton told me how much I wanted it and needed it and I just had to ride like it was the last race I would ever ride."[25][26] At the 2005–06 World Cup event in Manchester, Pendleton won the sprint and finished third in both the keirin and 500 m time trial.[27][28][29]

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won silver in the 500 m time trial (behind Anna Meares). She then defeated Meares in the final of the sprint to secure the gold medal.[30][31] The following month, at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Bordeaux, Pendleton was unable to defend her world sprint title. She finished in second position after she was beaten by Natalia Tsylinskaya in the final.[32][33] In the keirin, an incident with rival Anna Meares caused Meares to be relegated, but Pendleton was left unable to challenge for a medal. Meares apologised afterwards, but the incident started a long-term rivalry between the pair.[34][35] Pendleton won three gold medals at the Manchester leg of the 2006-07 Track Cycling World Cup, securing victories in the sprint, keirin and 500 m time trial.[36]

At the 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, she won the team sprint alongside Shanaze Reade, the individual gold in the sprint (overcoming Guo Shuang in the final),[37] and a third gold in the keirin.[38] In December, she won gold in the keirin at the 2007–08 World Cup event in Sydney.[39] At the end of 2007, she was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.[40] Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists' Association's sportswoman of the year.[41]

Pendleton celebrates winning the sprint at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

Coming back from illness and a knee injury, Pendleton finished second in the sprint at the 2007–08 World Cup meeting in Copenhagen.[42] During her build-up to the Olympics, she won two gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the sprint (overcoming Simona Krupeckaite in the final), and the team sprint (with Reade).[43] She was also second in the keirin.[44] At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the sprint. Her success made her the first British female cyclist to win a gold medal in the sprint at an Olympic Games.[45]She defeated Anna Meares in the final, and afterwards, she acknowledged the help that Steve Peters had had on her career since she started working with him. Pendleton was critical of the Olympics, after only three medal events in track cycling were available for women, whereas there were seven medal events in the men's Olympic schedule. Only one of the women's races was in a discipline that Pendleton competed in, and she said she felt "sick" by the decision, and stated "I think something really does need to be done about that. It's just not fair - it wouldn't happen in other sports."[18] In October, Pendleton joined the Sky+HD Trade Team.[46] In the 2008-09 World Cup, she won three gold medals at the meeting in Manchester, triumphing in the keirin, sprint and 500 m time trial.[47]

2009–2012

[edit]

She retained her world title in the sprint at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszków, with a photo-finish victory over Willy Kanis. In addition to her world sprint title, Pendleton also won silver in the team sprint (with Reade), and bronze in the 500 m time trial.[48] In the 2009‍–‍10 World Cup event in Manchester, Pendleton finished first in the sprint, and second in the 500 m time trial.[49][50]

At the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Copenhagen, Pendleton again retained her world sprint title. She defeated Anna Meares in the semi-finals before overcoming Guo in the final to achieve victory in the event for the fourth year in succession.[51] She also claimed a silver medal in the kierin.[52] Later that year, she won her ninth consecutive British sprint title at the National Championships.[53] She also won the 500 m time trial for the eighth time, her 25th national track title overall. Pendleton chose not to participate at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in order to focus on the upcoming European Championships.[54] There, she won a silver medal in the team sprint with Jessica Varnish.[55] In the 2010-11 World Cup, Pendleton won silver medals in the sprint and team sprint in Melbourne,[56][57] before securing gold medals in the team sprint and keirin in Cali.[58][59]

At the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Pendleton won a silver in the team sprint (with Varnish), a bronze medal in the sprint (losing to Anna Meares in the semi-finals), and finished seventh in the keirin.[60][61] Her third-placed position in the sprint meant that she failed to become world sprint champion for the first time since 2006, and she later admitted that this had affected her confidence and led to self-doubt. She reflected, "The worst thing you can do is start doubting what you do. As soon as you start doubting your training programme and over-analysing it, you just start spiralling down. And I'm an emotional person."[62] Partnering Varnish, Pendleton won the team sprint in the National Championships.[63] At the 2011 European Track Championships, Pendleton won the team sprint[64] and keirin titles, and finished eighth in the sprint.[65]

In February 2012, Pendleton and Varnish set a new team sprint world record of 32.754 seconds while beating Kaarle McCulloch and Anna Meares of Australia at the Track World Cup in the London Velodrome.[66] In Pendleton's final World Championships, she won the sprint for a record-equalling sixth time.[67] She progressed past Anna Meares in their semi-final on a photo finish before defeating Simona Krupeckaitė 2–0, with the second win coming from a relegation to her opponent.[68] Pendleton finished without medals in her other two events, the keirin and the team sprint.[69][70]

Pendleton celebrates winning the keirin at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pendleton and Varnish broke the world record in the qualifying stages of the team sprint before being relegated in the semi-finals due to an illegal change-over. Their world record was then beaten by China later in the event.[71] She recovered to win a gold medal in the keirin, becoming the first British woman to win an individual gold medal at successive Olympic Games.[72][73] Pendleton set a new Olympic record of 10.724 seconds in the qualifiers of the sprint,[74] but lost in the final to Anna Meares. Pendleton was relegated in the first run, and beaten in the second run, to finish with the silver medal.[75] This was Pendleton's final competitive race before she retired from professional cycling.[76]

Later developments

[edit]

In 2016, Pendleton, reflecting on the end of her cycling career, revealed that she had not enjoyed the atmosphere at British Cycling, stating “I couldn’t stay working with those people,” adding, “If, four years ago, they’d made the changes that they’ve made now, I would’ve been a lot happier and probably would’ve performed better.”[77] She also stated that her professional relationship with coach Shane Sutton had deteriorated between the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.[78] Speaking about the aftermath of her silver medal in her final race at the Olympics, Pendleton has claimed, "My coaches left the village without saying goodbye. I didn’t expect them to. Why would they? They were glad to be rid of me.”[79] In 2016, British Cycling carried out an in-house inquiry following allegations against Sutton by Pendleton's teammate Varnish. Sutton was cleared of all but one charge (using sexist language), but in 2017, British Cycling conceded that the organisation's achievements had "come at too high a price."[9][80]

Horse racing and other sports

[edit]

In March 2015, Pendleton, searching for a new challenge, announced that she was training to become a jockey with guidance from horse trainer Paul Nicholls. She stated that she had only ridden a horse for the first time a week previously, but it was her ambition to compete in the Foxhunter Chase at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival.[81] In August 2015, she earned her amateur riders licence from the British Horseracing Authority,[82] and then made her competitive debut later that month, riding Royal Etiquette to a second-placed finish in the Betfair Novice Flat Amateur Riders' Handicap at Ripon.[83] On 19 February 2016, Pendleton was unseated whilst riding Pachu du Polder at Fakenham. It was her first race under National Hunt Rules.[84] She then secured her maiden victory on 2 March 2016, guiding the same horse to success at Wincanton.[85]

On 18 March 2016, Pendleton, riding Pacha Du Polder, realized her aim of competing in the 2016 Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham, finishing fifth. She described the result as "probably the greatest achievement of my life." Afterwards, Nicholls said "It's great for the team that won the race, but for Victoria to finish fifth after all the doubters was superb. We would not have let it happen if we had a doubt."[86]

On 19 July 2017, at invitation of English Heritage, she spent a bootcamp day at Kenilworth Castle to learn the basic trainings of the medieval sport of jousting. She stated afterwards: "I have a huge amount of respect for the sport now – much greater than before – and I think people would be surprised to learn how numb your senses are when dressed in armour top-to-toe."[87]

In the media

[edit]

Pendleton featured on the cover of men's magazine FHM in 2009.[88] In 2012, Harper's Bazaar magazine named her as joint recipient of British Ambassador of the Year in their Women of the Year Awards.[89] In February 2012, Halfords released a Pendleton branded range of women's bikes including the Somerton, the Brooke, and the Dalby on which Pendleton herself had worked as a design consultant.[90] She was a brand ambassador for Oral-B and Pantene in the build-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics.[91] She was also the subject of a BBC television documentary titled Victoria Pendleton: Cycling's Golden Girl which aired in July 2012.[92]

In 2012, Pendleton was a contestant on series 10 of Strictly Come Dancing,[93][94] in which her professional partner was Brendan Cole. She was the seventh of the fourteen celebrities to leave the show.[95] Pendleton's released an autobiography titled Between the Lines in September 2012.[96][97]

At the 2014 Conservative Party Conference, Pendleton introduced the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan before her keynote speech on 30 September, speaking about the importance of sport in education. She said, "If you want more children to leave school healthy and prepared for life in modern Britain, with everything that will be thrown at them, you might as well give them a sporting chance."[98]

In 2016, Pendleton partnered with Clinique, joining as a Difference Maker for the Clinique Difference Initiative, with the aim to inspire women and support the provision of educational and healthcare support.[99]

In May 2018, Pendleton was forced to abandon a charity Everest ascent that she was doing with TV presenter Ben Fogle. At Base Camp 2 (6400 m of altitude), she experienced hypoxia which was caused by a shortage of oxygen.[100] It took her three weeks of antibiotics to get over chest and ear infections.[101] In 2019, Pendleton stated that she had suffered severe depression and had contemplated suicide after her failed Everest expedition. She revealed that surfing had helped her recovery and she subsequently became a patron of the Wave Project charity which utilises surfing as a therapy.[102][103]

In 2019, Pendleton competed on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins for Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C).[104] Pendleton was accused of creating a "toxic" atmosphere during the filming of TV show Don't Rock the Boat in November 2020 by crew mate Craig Charles.[105] In 2021, she co-commentated on the cycling as part of the BBC's Olympics coverage in Tokyo.[106] In January 2025, she appeared on an episode of the TV show The Dog House in which she adopted a rescued Rhodesian Ridgeback named Leilo.[107]

Personal life

[edit]

Pendleton was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, and she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to cycling.[108][109][110]

Gold postbox in honour of Pendleton in Stotfold

In 2012, The Royal Mail painted a postbox gold in Pendleton's hometown of Stotfold to honour her gold medal at the Olympic Games.[111] In 2012, the Royal Mail also released a set of commemorative stamps from the 2012 Olympics, with Pendleton's win in the keirin featuring on one.[112]

Pendleton's relationship with Scott Gardner, a sports scientist with British Cycling's coaching team, caused problems, as it was considered to be unprofessional for two members of the team to be romantically involved. Following the 2008 Olympics, when it became more widely known, Gardner left the team, though he was later re-hired after Pendleton suffered a loss of form.[113][114] The couple married in September 2013.[115] They initially hid their relationship from other members of the team, and when the news came out, Pendleton said “They were so upset with me – disgusted, like I’d committed a crime," adding "But the relationship didn’t make me any less of an athlete or any less professional or any less successful." Pendleton also said the reaction left her "distraught".[79] In July 2018, she announced that they were separating.[116]

She is in a relationship with Louis Tinsley, an ex-SBS operator and co-founder of clothing firm ThruDark whom she met in 2019.[9][103] In June 2023, she announced that her brother, Alex, had died from a brain tumour.[117] In July 2024, Pendleton was made Honorary Colonel and corps ambassador to HM Royal Marines.[118]

Pendleton has a tattoo of the song lyric 'Today is the greatest day I've ever known' from The Smashing Pumpkins' song "Today" on her arm.[119]

Palmarès

[edit]

Source:[120]

2002
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
2003
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st Scratch race
2003 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Scratch, Sydney[17]
2004
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
2004 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Sprint, Manchester[19]
3rd 500 m time trial, Manchester [121]
2004-05 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Keirin, Los Angeles[23]
2nd Sprint, Manchester[122]
2nd 500 m time trial, Manchester[123]
2005
1st Sprint, World Track Championships
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st Scratch Race
2005-06 Track Cycling World Cup
2nd Sprint, Moscow[124]
1st Sprint, Manchester[27]
3rd Keirin, Manchester[28]
3rd 500 m time trial, Manchester[29]
2006
Commonwealth Games
1st Sprint
2nd Time trial[30]
2nd Sprint, World Track Championships[32]
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st Scratch race
1st National Derny Championship
2006-07 Track Cycling World Cup
2nd Sprint, Sydney[125]
1st Keirin, Moscow[126]
1st Sprint, Manchester[36]
1st 500 m time trial, Manchester[36]
1st Keirin, Manchester[36]
2007
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)[37]
1st Keirin
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st National Derny Championship
2007-08 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Keirin, Sydney[39]
2nd Sprint, Beijing[127]
2nd Sprint, Copenhagen[42]
2008
1st Sprint, Olympic Games
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)[43]
2nd Keirin[44]
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Anna Blyth)[128]
1st Keirin
2008-09 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Sprint, Manchester[47]
1st Keirin, Manchester[47]
1st 500 m time trial, Manchester[47]
1st Sprint, Copenhagen[129]
2009
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
2nd Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)[48]
3rd 500 m time trial[48]
National Track Championships
1st 500 m time trial
1st Kierin
1st Sprint
2009-10 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Sprint, Manchester[49]
2nd 500 m time trial, Manchester[50]
2010
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
2nd Keirin[52]
2010-11 Track Cycling World Cup
2nd Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish), Melbourne[57]
2nd Sprint, Melbourne[56]
1st Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish), Cali[58]
1st Keirin, Cali[59]
2nd Sprint, Cali[130]
3rd Sprint, Manchester[131]
3rd Keirin, Manchester[132]
National Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
2011
1st Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish), European Track Championships[64]
World Track Championships
2nd Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish)[60]
3rd Sprint[61]
2011-12 Track Cycling World Cup
1st Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish), London[66]
National Track Championships
1st Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish)[63]
2012
Olympic Games
1st Keirin
2nd Sprint[75]
1st Sprint, World Track Championships

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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Bibliography

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