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Victoria Pendleton [1980-0] British

Rank: 101
Athlete, Cyclist

Victoria Louise Pendleton, CBE is a British jockey and former track cyclist who specialised in the sprint, team sprint and keirin disciplines.

Diet, Birthday, Courage

Quote	Tags	Rank
I worried I was a boyish shape. I always thought I might grow some, but it never happened.		101
I've seen pictures of me, and I look mean and arrogant. That's how I felt on the inside. I think now, 'Is that really me?'		102
I normally don't listen to my instincts because I'm so full of doubt.		103
It's a very unique feeling - to be that strong and unbreakable. But I'm working towards it.		104
The sprint is sometimes like a toss of a coin. Sometimes it's heads, and sometimes it's tails.		105
I'm someone who wears their heart on their sleeve.		106
I find it hard to act other than the way I feel.		107
I was just, like, all I want to do is be really good at something. Really, really good at something, so people are vaguely impressed by me.		108
I'm not the perfect model of what an athlete should be, mentally or physically.		109
I've always been very open with my emotions. Actually, that's got me into a lot of trouble, too, in the past.		110
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.		111
I've never pretended that I'm not female and vulnerable. To me, it's just being honest.		112
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.		113
We are all totally committed as elite athletes. To think that pushing people around and bullying them is the best way to get results out of them is just ludicrous.		114
Don't get me wrong: there are some fantastic people who work at British Cycling who kept me together, who were there when I was struggling with it all. They were walking the same tightrope in many ways, because if you do speak up, your days are numbered.		115
I never really felt I had the same respect as my male team-mates. My opinion wasn't worth as much. I used to sit quietly in meetings and not say anything, as I knew my opinions would be disregarded. And that's after I had become Olympic champion and multiple world champion.		116
I go round and round in circles, really, really fast, on a big wooden bowl.		117
I turn left for a living.		118
I like heels and make-up.		119
As a kid growing up - I can see now - it didn't matter what I did, as long as it was something I could be really good at. Cycling just happened to be the opportunity that came along.		120
I was put on a pony as a kid at some birthday party when you're all led around.	Birthday	121
As you ride in a steeplechase, and you're on the horse, going quite fast, you think, 'That's quite a big fence...' But trust the horse, and don't give him any reason to doubt you.		122
We've all said, 'No, no, I couldn't do that... ' But actually, you could if you just went, 'You know what? I will... and I shall.' Once you realise that, it's quite wonderful.		123
We don't talk about courage much in our everyday conversations, but I am comfortable with it now.	Courage	124
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.		125
In tennis, you can have a bad set and still win. The part of track cycling that is difficult to find in other sports is that it's so final; there's no second chance if you make a mistake.		126
I've always been like this - insecure - because I'm striving for something that can't be attained. I don't just want to be OK at this: I want to be the best at it, and I've never achieved that in my mind.		201
Even though I've won numerous titles and an Olympic gold medal, there are still so many faults in my performance that I can honestly hardly bear to watch the videos back.		202
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?'		203
I am a self-critical perfectionist.		204
I beat myself up the whole time because I'm striving for something I'll basically never achieve. I portray this image of confidence, of arrogance, and it's not really me. I'm never satisfied, and I'm never content. It means I'm a bit of a mess some of the time.		205
I just want to prove that I am really good at something. And I haven't quite done that yet - at least not to myself. I know I could ride so much better, with more ease, with more finesse. I feel I'm nowhere near as good as I should be.		206
I always feel that most people out there who aren't sure if the gym is really for them aren't prepared to pay and find out.		207
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.		208
I love it and really, really enjoy weight training. I love free weights. I find it really rewarding.		209
If you start lifting weights, you will expect to put weight on, as muscle is heavier than fat. But you have to look more at your body shape - you will get heavier - but you might get smaller and heavier at the same time, which is fine. And it doesn't really matter what you weigh as long as you are happy with your shape and size!		210
I come from a cycling background. I happened to be good at it; the opportunities came my way. It wasn't something I necessarily searched to be involved in; it wasn't a dream. I just had an opportunity which you couldn't refuse.		211
I've always been very fond of animals.		212
You look at a horse, and he's such a majestic, beautiful, powerful creature that you can't not be impressed. I love scraping the water off them when I wash them down because you go all round the contours, and its muscle and body, and you just think, 'Ooh, isn't this a magnificent creature.' You're touching it, and it's just solid, carved muscle.		213
I could scrape water off horses all day long. That would never get boring.		214
To be honest, after you've crossed the line at the Olympic Games, it is bedlam for the next, about, five or six hours. Media, press conference, dope control - you might get some food if you're lucky. You might see family if you're lucky.		215
Although, you know it's been really nice to wear the Olympic kit, I'm looking forward to wearing non-sports, feminine clothes.		216
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.		217
I think I might become a pescatarian. I love sushi, couldn't give it up.		218
I think women are by nature competitive - secretly, privately within their own selves, on lots of different levels, on the way they look, perform.		219
I'm definitely capable of just enjoying riding my bike these days.		220
A car is a killing machine. It's like waving a loaded gun. People don't realise how dangerous they are.		221
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.		222
There have been a lot of moments in my career when things haven't gone to plan.		223
I've lost a lot more races than I've ever won... it's all part of the journey, really.		224
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.		225
People will put restrictions on your ability, on your aptitude, on your talent, on your character, and to be honest, it's just opinion. Don't let anyone put you in a box or draw your path for you.		226
As a teenager, I wanted to look like the early '90s curvy supermodels. Even in my early 20s, I always said as soon as I retired from cycling, I'd get a boob job.		301
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.		302
I used to feel very lonely on the team. The boys would all pair up.		303
The men couldn't understand how I could be so successful and so insecure at the same time - because it doesn't really exist in the same way in the male psyche.		304
Maybe guys also have insecurities, but in a sporting arena, they keep it to themselves. I can't do that.		305
People may think I'm crazy, but one of the ways I like to wind down my Friday is to get some of our household chores done, whether it's cleaning or doing a big food shop, so the house is all nice for the weekend.		306
I'm not one for going out on the town on Friday night, as I've never been a big drinker, so I like getting the rubbish jobs out of the way so we can enjoy our free time.		307
Food plays a large part in our weekend, but on a Friday evening, I'll make us something simple for tea. I might have a wee glass of wine.		308
Oddly enough you'd think, now that I wasn't training professionally, I'd be able to enjoy a lie-in at the weekend, but I actually slept more when I was competing because I was so tired.		309
I often felt that I didn't train and race enough team sprint to get it right. You need to know that you've got a place to have that continuity of results. Am I in? Am I out of this one? That's tough.		310
I used to have a rant all the time when things went wrong, at everybody around me, because you just have to get the frustration out.		311
It's an evolution. The same team doesn't always dominate, and it goes in cycles.		312
Winning is no longer just the outcome. It's part of the process.		313
Being a track sprinter, when it's all about a thousandth of a second, there is no escaping the numbers every single day.		314
I am so in tune with my body that I know how it should feel.		315
I am fighting my natural body shape to do what I do.		316
Oh, I am an angel, though sometimes I wish I was more of a devil.		317
The sponsorship offers have been amazing. I have to turn down a lot.		318
My success has got so great, it's like I'm trapped, almost, within it.		319
I compete in a sport on an individual basis, but I have never done it for me.		320
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.		321
Winning the gold medal should have been the happiest day of my entire life, and it just wasn't. It felt like the saddest day of my life. Everyone was so angry with us, that Scott and I had fallen in love, because it was so unprofessional, and we were a disgrace and had betrayed everybody.		322
As a professional track cyclist, I have always challenged myself, and I enjoy seeing how I cope when faced with the unknown.		323
I have always loved animals and groomed friends' horses as a child. I think I may have even ridden the odd seaside donkey in my early years.		324
Anyone that has been lucky enough to go to the races and witness the magnificent spectacle of a competitive race will know how people like me can instantly fall in love with the power and beauty of race horses in full gallop.		325
Apparently, I have such a serious race face, even when I'm doing a bit of work, at first everybody wasn't sure if I was enjoying it or not. But it's absolutely exhilarating. It feels like you're one with your horse and you're flying.		326
It's a rare and special feeling to ride a racehorse.		401
I've been told from the start, 'Don't fall in love with the horses'. But that's so hard. I'm in awe.		402
There's footage of me bouncing around, all uncoordinated, trying to work out how on earth you're supposed to do a rising trot on a really extravagant moving eventing horse.		403
You have to be realistic. I'd love to be more famous, have lots of people supporting me, people knowing my name, but I need a tennis racket or a golf club or to play football. Being a female, I don't stand a chance.		404
Cycling as a whole is totally underestimated.		405
It would be great to be recognised for my achievements, but Sports Personality isn't about that.		406
I thrive on having support around me, even if they are not actively doing something. I feel happier, more confident.		407
I'm very passionate about my two Dobermans, Stella and Mr Jonty. I go on and on and on about them, and people have to tell me to shut up before I get out pictures of them.		408
I love watching Crufts on the television, especially the agility tests; I find them very impressive.		409
I went to Australia and did a three day hike with my fiance through the wilderness, which was nice.		410
I love sport and will do just about anything. Someone said they'd had a go at skiing off a mountain with a parachute, and that sounds great!		411
As weird as it is it to see yourself on screen, it made everything we've been through seem very real. And, well, London is only weeks away now.		412
I quite enjoy sport, and I'm now an Olympic champion. It's a bit weird, isn't it?		413
I used to wear miniskirts with my GB top, and sparkly sandals, and the boys would be like: 'Oh my gosh, this girl cannot be serious.'		414
A lot of women in sport tend to take on a very masculine, aggressive look. They want to be perceived as being strong and powerful. I never lost that sense of wanting to retain my femininity.		415
I naturally favour a clean, healthy diet. A salad sandwich is one of my favourite meals!	Diet	416
I genuinely enjoy the process of making colourful, delicious food. But I do allow myself an occasional piece of chocolate - today I had a pastry. If I fancy something, I'll have it.		417
I think just drinking juice is too extreme for a diet. Your body needs more than juice, so I think it's a very hard thing to do - very challenging and probably very unhealthy for your body. You can't get everything you need from a juice. I love juice because it can provide you with nutrients - but drink it alongside your diet!	Diet	418

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