Victoria Pendleton

Victoria Pendleton

Pendleton in 2011
Personal information
Full name Victoria Louise Pendleton
Nickname Queen Victoria[1][2]
Born (1980-09-24) 24 September 1980[3][4]
Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Weight 62 kg (137 lb; 9.8 st)[3]
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Track
Role Rider
Rider type Sprinter
Amateur team(s)
1989–2004 Mildenhall Cycling Club
2005 VC St Raphael
Professional team(s)
2006–2007 Science in Sport / Trek
2008–2012 Sky Track Cycling

Victoria Louise Pendleton, CBE (born 24 September 1980) is a British jockey and former track cyclist who specialised in the sprint, team sprint and keirin disciplines.

Pendleton represented Great Britain and England in international competition, winning nine world titles including a record six in the individual sprint competition, dominating the event between 2005 and 2012. Pendleton is a former Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion. In 2012 she won the gold medal in the keirin at the 2012 Summer Olympics, as well as silver in the sprint.

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours[5] and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to cycling.[6][7] As a gold medalist at European, World and Olympic level, Pendleton is also a member of the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame.

With two gold medals and one silver, Pendleton is one of Great Britain's most successful female Olympians.

Early life

Victoria Louise Pendleton, and her twin brother Alex James Pendleton, were born on 24 September 1980 at Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England, to Max Pendleton, a keen cyclist and former British national grass track cycling champion, and Pauline M. Viney. She also has an older sister, Nicola Jane.[8]

Career

Early years

Pendleton rode her first race, a 400 m event on the grass track at Fordham 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.[9]

Journey to the top

Pendleton won one bronze and three silver medals in the British National Track Championships in 2001, while still a student. Between 2002 and 2004 she was a trainee at the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland.[10] She qualified for the 2002 Commonwealth Games team, finishing fourth in the sprint. She again came fourth in the sprint at the 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Stuttgart and the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne. She ranked 2nd overall in the World Cup for the sprint in 2004, winning the World Cup event in Manchester.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the time trial and ninth in the 200 m sprint.

Pendleton won her first major medal with gold in the sprint at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She became the third British woman to become a cycling world champion in 40 years.[11]

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won silver in the 500 m time trial and gold in the sprint.

At the 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, she won the team sprint with Shanaze Reade, the individual gold in the sprint, and a third gold in the keirin.[12] She crowned the year by being named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007, becoming the first cyclist to win the award in its 20-year history.[13] Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists' Association's sportswoman of the year for 2007.[14]

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

During her build-up to the Olympics she won two gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the sprint,[15] and the team sprint, again with Reade.[16] She was also second in the keirin.[17] At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the sprint.[18]

She retained her title in the sprint at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszków. Each sprint was so closely matched it required several photos, leaving Pendleton emotional but victorious over her Dutch opponent, Willy Kanis.[19]

At the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Pendleton won a silver in the team sprint, a bronze medal in the sprint and finished seventh in the keirin.[20] Partnering Jess Varnish, Pendleton won the team sprint in her only event at the British Championships.[21] At the 2011 European Track Championships Pendleton won the team sprint[22] and keirin titles, but only came eighth in the sprint.[23]

In February 2012 Pendleton and Varnish set a new world team sprint record of 32.754 seconds, beating Kaarle McCulloch and Anna Meares of Australia at the Track World Cup in the London Velodrome.[24] In the sprint and the keirin Pendleton came 4th and 5th respectively.[25][26] In Pendleton's final 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships she won the sprint, her sixth title. She fell in the first heat of the semi-final against Meares. In the second heat Meares was relegated for going outside her lane. In the decider Pendleton won in a photo finish before defeating Simona Krupeckaite, winning 2–0 with the second win coming from another relegation.[27] Pendleton finished without medals in her other two events.[28][29]

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.[30] She recovered to win a gold medal in the keirin.[31] Pendleton set a new Olympic record of 10.724 seconds in the qualifiers of the sprint[32] but lost in the final to Anna Meares, after being controversially relegated[33] in the first run and being beaten in the second run, earning a silver medal. This would be Pendleton's final competitive race as she retired from professional cycling.[34]

Horse racing

In March 2015, Pendleton announced her intention to become a jockey with the aim of competing at the Foxhunter Chase at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival, with guidance from horse trainer Paul Nicholls.[35] She made her competitive debut in August 2015, finishing second in the Betfair Novice Flat Amateur Riders' Handicap at Ripon riding Royal Etiquette.[36] She won her first race on 2 March 2016 guiding 5–4 favourite Pacha Du Polder to victory at Wincanton.[37]

On 18 March 2016, Pendleton, again riding Pacha Du Polder, achieved her ambition of participating in the 2016 Foxhunter Chase, at Cheltenham, outperforming many pundits' expectations by finishing fifth. She described the result as "probably the greatest achievement of my life".[38]

Outside sport

Pendleton featured on the cover of the July 2009 issue of men's magazine FHM.[39] She featured in the January 2012 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine.[40] In February 2012, Halfords released a Pendleton branded range of women's bikes including the Somerton (a city bike), the Initial (a road bicycle) the Brooke and the Dalby (both hybrid bikes) on which Pendleton herself had worked as a design consultant.[41] She was a "brand ambassador" for Pantene hair-care products in the advent to London 2012.[42] She was the subject of a BBC television programme which first aired in July.[43] She featured on the cover of the August 2012 issue of Esquire magazine.[44]

Pendleton was a contestant on series 10 of Strictly Come Dancing,[45] in which her professional partner was Brendan Cole.[46] She was the seventh of the fourteen celebrities to leave the show on 25 November.[47]

Pendleton's autobiography Between the Lines was published following her retirement in September 2012.[48][49]

On 4 July 2014, Pendleton made a guest appearance in the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, for the start of the Tour de France in Yorkshire. Pendleton caused fireworks in Jimmy (Nick Miles) and Nicola King's (Nicola Wheeler) marriage.

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."[50]

Personal life

Pendleton's relationship with Scott Gardner, a sports scientist with the British Cycling coaching team, caused some problems for the couple, as it was felt to be unprofessional for two members of the team to be romantically involved.[51] Following the 2008 Olympics, when it became more widely known, Gardner was obliged to leave the team, though he was later re-hired. Pendleton and Gardner married in September 2013.[52]

For her 30th birthday, Pendleton had a line from The Smashing Pumpkins' song "Today" tattooed onto her right arm.[53] As of 2012, she lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire.[54]

Palmarès

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
2004
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
2005
1st Sprint, World Track Championships
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st Scratch Race
2006
Commonwealth Games
1st Sprint
2nd Time trial
2nd Sprint, World Track Championships
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st Scratch race
1st National Derny Championship
2007
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)
1st Keirin
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st 500 m time trial
1st Keirin
1st National Derny Championship
2008
1st Sprint, Olympic Games
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)
2nd Keirin
National Track Championships
1st Sprint
1st Team sprint (with Anna Blyth)
1st Keirin
2009
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
2nd Team sprint (with Shanaze Reade)
3rd 500 m time trial
National Track Championships
1st 500 m time trial
1st Sprint
2010
World Track Championships
1st Sprint
2nd Keirin
2011
1st Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish), European Track Championships
World Track Championships
2nd Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish)
3rd Sprint
2012
Olympic Games
1st Keirin
2nd Sprint
1st Sprint, World Track Championships

See also

References

  1. ↑ Majendie, Matt (8 August 2012). "New track queen Laura Trott eyes Victoria Pendleton's crown". Evening Standard.
  2. ↑ "'Queen Victoria' delighted to abdicate". Yahoo News. 7 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Victoria Pendleton – Olympic Record". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "'Queen Victoria' delighted to abdicate". Yahoo News.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58929. p. 21. 31 December 2008.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60367. p. 24. 29 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "2013 New Year's Honoura" (PDF). Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Roy Stockdill (9 July 2012). "Famous family trees: Victoria Pendleton". Find My Past. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Naughton, Philippe (6 January 2008). "Victoria Pendleton's secrets". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  10. ↑ "UCI World Cycling Centre welcomes its 1000th trainee". Union Cycliste Internationale. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "The first British woman to win gold in the World Cycling Championships". Radio 4, Woman's Hour Interview.
  12. ↑ Simon Baskett (1 April 2007). "Pendleton completes flawless worlds with third gold". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2007.
  13. ↑ Maul, Robert (20 November 2007). "Victoria Pendleton named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  14. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton Voted Sportswoman of the Year". British Cycling. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007.
  15. ↑ Williams, Ollie (6 April 2012). "Victoria Pendleton wins sprint gold despite crash". BBC Sport. Melbourne: BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  16. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton, Shanaze Reade beat China to win team sprint". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "Jennie Reed wins keirin gold for US". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 30 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Briton Pendleton wins sprint gold". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  19. ↑ Andrew Longmore (29 March 2008). "Proud Victoria Pendleton cries tears of joy". The Sunday Times. London.
  20. ↑ "Aussie Meares outshines Pendleton". BBC News. 27 March 2011.
  21. ↑ "Sir Chris Hoy wins second gold at the National Track Championships". BBC Sport. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "British gold medals mask sprint error". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  23. ↑ Williams, Ollie (23 October 2011). "BBC Sport – Euro Track Cycling: Victoria Pendleton leads haul of four British golds". BBC. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  24. ↑ "Track World Cup: Great Britain win two golds at Olympic Velodrome". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  25. ↑ "BBC Sport – Track World Cup: Sir Chris Hoy and Joanna Rowsell win gold". BBC. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  26. ↑ "BBC Sport – Track World Cup: Sir Chris Hoy storms to sprint gold in London". BBC. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  27. ↑ "Track Worlds: Victoria Pendleton wins sprint gold despite crash". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  28. ↑ "Track Worlds: Great Britain beat Australia with world record". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  29. ↑ "Track Worlds: Laura Trott wins omnium as Kenny beats Hoy". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  30. ↑ Jessica Varnish: I will never watch nightmare moment when my London Olympic dream was shattered. www.telegraph.co.uk. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  31. ↑ Victoria Pendleton wins gold in the women's keirin at London 2012 Olympics. www.telegraph.co.uk. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  32. ↑ Women's Sprint : Records. London 2012 official website.
  33. ↑ Meares outsprints arch-rival Pendleton. Reuters. 7 August 2012.
  34. ↑ Eddie Allen (7 August 2012).Relief for Pendleton after sprint swansong: “I can't believe it's all over”. www.britishcycling.org.uk.
  35. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton wants to race at Cheltenham in 2016". bbc.co.uk. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  36. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton second on competitive amateur jockey debut". bbc.co.uk. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton: Olympic cyclist wins first race as a jockey". BBC Sport. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  38. ↑ "Cheltenham 2016: Victoria Pendleton 'overwhelmed' with fifth place". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  39. ↑ French, Paul (26 May 2009). "Victoria Pendleton changes gear for FHM!". FHM. Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  40. ↑ "Victoria in stunning Harper's Bazaar shoot". Victoria Pendleton official website. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  41. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton & Halfords Team Up For Women's Cycle Range". BikeRadar. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  42. ↑ "Victoria to be the Pantene Pro V Ambassador for P&G". Victoria Pendleton official website. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  43. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton: Cycling's Golden Girl". BBC News. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  44. ↑ Bilmes, Alex (6 August 2012). "The affair that nearly destroyed Queen Victoria: Pendleton reveals how her love for her coach cost him his job, sparked her teammates' fury and led to her decision to QUIT cycling after the Games". Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  45. ↑ "Olympians Victoria Pendleton and Louis Smith to dance alongside Johnny Ball and Fern Britton". standard.co.uk. London Standard. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  46. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing judges praise Victoria Pendleton's 'perfect' pairing". metro.co.uk. Metro. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  47. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton leaves Strictly". BBC. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  48. ↑ Bathurst, Bella (21 September 2012). "Between the Lines by Victoria Pendleton – review". The Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  49. ↑ Cleave, Chris (20 September 2012). "Between the Lines: The Autobiography by Victoria Pendleton with Donald McRae: review". Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  50. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton makes surprise Tory appearance". BBC News. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  51. ↑ "Victoria Pendleton admits British Cycling friction over relationship". BBC Sport. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  52. ↑ "Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton and Scott Gardner tie the knot". Hello Magazine. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  53. ↑ Chadband, Ian (3 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: British cycling star Victoria Pendleton admits she 'hates' racing". Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  54. ↑ "My Perfect Sunday: Victoria Pendleton". The Telegraph. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.

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