Victoria Pendleton, one of Britain's most decorated athletes, has opened up about her challenging teenage years and the journey to becoming an Olympic champion. The cyclist, who won nine world championship golds and Olympic gold in 2008, recalls how the traits that made her successful on the track also made her an outcast at school.
Early Days and First Bike
Pendleton, born in Bedfordshire in 1980, remembers her first solo racing bike, a secondhand model custom sprayed by her father. She and her twin brother Alex were proud of their matching bikes, which they received at age nine. Her father, a cycling enthusiast, wanted his children to experience the refuge that cycling provided him. They started on a tandem before progressing to grass track racing.
School and Social Struggles
Despite a content upbringing, Pendleton found school difficult. The playground was segregated, with boys dominating the sports pitches while girls were pushed to the sidelines. She felt break time was boring and envied the boys' physical activities. She soon discovered that the determination and confidence required for Olympic success did not make her popular among her peers. Her intense focus on winning, often shouting 'Get out of my way!', led to social isolation.
Throughout her teenage years, Pendleton felt like an outcast, which was painful as she desperately wanted to fit in. This loss of control manifested as obsessive-compulsive disorder, with obsessive thoughts about food intake and constant hand-washing until her hands were raw. She found solace in art classes, where she could wash her hands and brushes unnoticed.
The Life-Changing Phone Call
At age 16, Pendleton's life changed when she received a phone call from Marshall of the British Cycling Federation. He had noticed her name in Cycling Weekly results and invited her to try out for the team. While her father was delighted, Pendleton worried that a career as an athlete seemed far-fetched. Fortunately, she was wrong.
When she started professional cycling, Pendleton felt like a fraud. On her first flight to the European Championships, she sat next to Bradley Wiggins, who was already an expert. She feared being discovered as an imposter. It wasn't until she won the world championship title in 2005 that she stopped feeling that way.
Overcoming Negative Voices
Throughout her career, Pendleton faced criticism that she was too small, too puny, and too feminine. While her father's belief in her kept her going, she retreated into the shadows, absorbing every slight. Coaches mistook her smile and lightheartedness for a lack of seriousness, not realizing she was already hard on herself internally. She recalls being told off for reading a book while stretching, as it appeared she wasn't focusing. Despite these struggles, she acknowledges that coaches were trying their best, but wishes they understood the impact of their negative comments.
Pendleton also highlights the remarkable individuals she trained with, including Jason Quealy, Chris Hoy, and Craig McLean, who treated her like a little sister and provided healthy aspirations. Being part of the golden era of cycling in Beijing was a blast.
The 2012 Olympics and Aftermath
By the 2012 Olympics, Pendleton felt immense pressure as the reigning world and Olympic champion competing on home soil. Her face was on billboards and magazines, and everyone expected her to win. She would reply, 'I'm going to try my best. Please forgive me if I don't!' After winning gold, life felt flat. She kept busy with sponsorship and corporate work, saying yes to everything to stay preoccupied.
Retirement was tough, and Pendleton experienced many lows. She felt like she had lost part of herself, as her cycling performance was the only thing she felt she had to offer. Untangling her identity from cycling seemed impossible, especially when people around her made it clear they loved her more when she was winning. To avoid these feelings, she decided to climb Everest but suffered from hypoxia and had to pull out. At the same time, she was going through a divorce. She eventually disappeared into the jungle and started surfing, which became the best therapy she could have asked for.
Life After Cycling
Pendleton has since taken up extreme sports, attributing her fearlessness to a childhood spent alongside her twin brother. After Alex passed away in 2023 from a brain tumour, she wanted to do something positive and explore the confidence her twindom gave her. She got into horse racing and motorcycling. Horse racing, in particular, has been life-changing, combining danger and excitement. She now can't imagine life without horses.
Reflecting on her journey, Pendleton says the girl in that photo would never have believed what she was capable of. Given how little she thought she had to offer the world, she has done so much more than she ever dreamed possible.
