Lizzie Armitstead

“I am not a robot; I am a member of a family - my commitment to them comes over and above my commitment to cycling.”

“I'm a very goal-oriented person, so I look at the specific demands of a certain race and tailor my training towards that.”

“I'm suited to harsh conditions, I don't like racing in the heat.”

“There are lots of things that could be done. We could get more help from the UCI, like forcing Pro-Tour teams to have a women's equivalent.”

“Most of my friends are non-cyclists. They are interested and proud of my achievements, but, equally, if I stopped tomorrow, they wouldn't say much about it!”

“As a female athlete, I think it's really important to stand up on a podium and represent females and what we're capable of, and I always try to make political statements with what I do rather than with headlines.”

“I could have been banned. That's what I was most scared about. All the hard work being for nothing. It was basically my livelihood and my sport being taken away from me. It was everything.”

“I am sorry for causing anyone to lose faith in sport.”

“I never gave up, and for that, I can be proud of myself.”

“I need to be fit and strong, and I don't want to carry any excess fat.”

“I will hold my head high in Rio and do my best for Great Britain.”

“I have a strong, inspiring, and professional group of women around me with Boels-Dolmans. We race and train incredibly hard as a team.”

“I think about Rio every day. Every day in training, it's something that drives me forward. I want to be Olympic champion.”

“It's difficult to change things in a positive way.”

“In terms of being a famous person, it hasn't changed anything. It's not important for me.”

“I never expected to compete at home in a UCI women's race - let alone as world champion.”

“I find weddings too procedural sometimes. I just want a big, fun party.”