Victoria Pendleton

“You have to make the mistakes and have those failures in order to learn from them and grow and improve... But for me, the best way to combat any of that beating yourself up or overanalysing, the most important part is always to be prepared to the best of your ability.”

“I used to feel very lonely on the team. The boys would all pair up.”

“I worried I was a boyish shape. I always thought I might grow some, but it never happened.”

“I like heels and make-up.”

“People say, 'Wow, you've achieved it all this year: two world championship wins and an Olympic gold medal.' And I think, 'Yeah, but how come I feel so unsatisfied and under pressure all over again?'”

“The sponsorship offers have been amazing. I have to turn down a lot.”

“I went to Australia and did a three day hike with my fiance through the wilderness, which was nice.”

“Eating vegetarian in the past would have been a really bad choice as an athlete. Impossible. Just being able to get the amount of protein in was a mission. You couldn't be picky. I feel quite liberated by the fact that I can now quite recklessly choose vegetarian food.”

“As you get older, you get more accepting - although, if you asked me whose body I would want, I would say Jess Ennis's at the Olympics.”

“There have been a lot of moments in my career when things haven't gone to plan.”

“I was always cycling for my dad. Then the coaches got bigger, and my results got better. Suddenly, the responsibility grows, and I'm doing it for somebody else, I'm doing it for a programme; I'm doing it for the country. I'm doing it for, like, everybody.”

“One of the first coaches I worked with on the national team told me that I was too skinny, too puny, and had no natural acceleration. He said I'd be better off looking for another facet of sport to follow. That was a really, really bad moment. For a long time, I felt as if my dad was the only one who had faith in me.”

“I love watching Crufts on the television, especially the agility tests; I find them very impressive.”

“I've been taught by some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, and I've learnt that technique for weight training and cycling is very much more strength and less conditioning.”

“I was constantly being told I shouldn't talk so much about how I was feeling. They seemed to think I was giving too much away to my competitors. Showing signs of weakness. But I've always thought that was rubbish.”

“I love it and really, really enjoy weight training. I love free weights. I find it really rewarding.”

“I am a self-critical perfectionist.”

“My best hair care tip would be, choose a range that is right for your hair structure. Working with Pantene has made me realize the importance of this, and it really does make a difference. I have quite thick hair, so I use the Smooth & Sleek range.”

“Oh, I am an angel, though sometimes I wish I was more of a devil.”

“What the event will be like, being part of the Olympics and being in London, is too much to think about. You've no control over those things, so in a way, it's wasted energy to think of them.”