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Victoria Pendleton
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.
Pendleton won a total of nine world titles, including a record six in the individual sprint, dominating the event 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 retired from 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 the same year.
She 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. Pendleton is also a member of the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame.
Pendleton and her twin brother Alex were born on 24 September 1980 at Stotfold, England. Her father, Max Pendleton, was a former British National 8 km grass track cycling champion.
Pendleton rode her first race, a 400m event, on the grass track at Mildenhall Cycling Club's Fordham Sports Day and Grass-Track meeting at nine. Pendleton showed her promise at 13 and was spotted three years later by the assistant national track coach, Marshal Thomas. At that time she wanted to concentrate on her education at Fearnhill School in Letchworth Garden City, and later a degree in Sport and Exercise Science by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. She enjoyed some success on the track as a student before graduating and becoming a full-time cyclist.
Pendleton won three silver medals and a bronze in the 2001 British National Track Championships. In 2002, she began training at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland, where she trained under Frederic Magne. She was selected to represent England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where she finished fourth in the sprint. She recorded another fourth place finish in the sprint at the 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In the 2003 World Cup, she won the scratch race in Sydney, and the following year, she finished fourth at the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She then secured victory in the sprint at the 2004 World Cup event in Manchester. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the 500 m time trial and ninth in the sprint.
Pendleton won her first world title after finishing first in the sprint at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. 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. 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."
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. 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. 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. 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.
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Victoria Pendleton
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.
Pendleton won a total of nine world titles, including a record six in the individual sprint, dominating the event 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 retired from 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 the same year.
She 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. Pendleton is also a member of the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame.
Pendleton and her twin brother Alex were born on 24 September 1980 at Stotfold, England. Her father, Max Pendleton, was a former British National 8 km grass track cycling champion.
Pendleton rode her first race, a 400m event, on the grass track at Mildenhall Cycling Club's Fordham Sports Day and Grass-Track meeting at nine. Pendleton showed her promise at 13 and was spotted three years later by the assistant national track coach, Marshal Thomas. At that time she wanted to concentrate on her education at Fearnhill School in Letchworth Garden City, and later a degree in Sport and Exercise Science by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. She enjoyed some success on the track as a student before graduating and becoming a full-time cyclist.
Pendleton won three silver medals and a bronze in the 2001 British National Track Championships. In 2002, she began training at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland, where she trained under Frederic Magne. She was selected to represent England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where she finished fourth in the sprint. She recorded another fourth place finish in the sprint at the 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In the 2003 World Cup, she won the scratch race in Sydney, and the following year, she finished fourth at the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She then secured victory in the sprint at the 2004 World Cup event in Manchester. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the 500 m time trial and ninth in the sprint.
Pendleton won her first world title after finishing first in the sprint at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. 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. 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."
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. 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. 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. 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.