Victoria Pendleton

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Victoria Pendleton
Victoria Pendleton 2011.jpg
Pendleton in 2011
Personal information
Full name Victoria Louise Pendleton
Nickname Queen Victoria[1][2]
Born (1980-09-24) 24 September 1980 (age 32)[3][4]
Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Weight 62 kg (140 lb; 9.8 st)[3]
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Track
Role Rider
Rider type Sprinter
Amateur team(s)
1989–2004
2005		 Mildenhall Cycling Club
VC St Raphael
Professional team(s)
2006–2007
2008–2012		 Science in Sport / Trek
Sky Track Cycling

Victoria Louise Pendleton, CBE (born 24 September 1980) is a British 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]

Contents

Early life [edit]

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 [edit]

Early years [edit]

Pendleton rode her first race, a 400m 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 [edit]

Pendleton won one bronze and three silver medals in the British National Track Championships in 2001, while still a student. 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 200m sprint.

Successful years [edit]

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.[10]

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won silver in the 500m 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.[11] 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.[12] Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists' Association's sportswoman of the year for 2007.[13]

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,[14] and the team sprint, again with Reade.[15] She was also second in the keirin.[16] At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the sprint.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19] Partnering Jess Varnish, Pendleton won the team sprint in her only event at the British Championships.[20] At the 2011 European Track Championships Pendleton won the team sprint[21] and keirin titles, but only came eighth in the sprint.[22]

Pendleton celebrates winning the keirin at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

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.[23] In the sprint and the keirin Pendleton came 4th and 5th respectively.[24][25] 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.[26] Pendleton finished without medals in her other two events.[27][28]

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.[29] She recovered to win a gold medal in the keirin.[30] Pendleton set a new Olympic record of 10.724 seconds in the qualifiers of the sprint[31] but lost in the final to Anna Meares, after being controversially relegated[32] 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 retires from professional cycling.[33]

Outside cycling [edit]

Pendleton featured on the cover of the July 2009 issue of men's magazine FHM.[34] She featured in the January 2012 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine.[35] In February 2012, Halfords released a Pendleton branded range of women's bikes on which Pendleton herself had worked as a design consultant.[36] She was a "brand ambassador" for Pantene hair-care products in the advent to London 2012.[37] She was the subject of a BBC television programme which first aired in July.[38] She featured on the cover of the August 2012 issue of Esquire magazine.[39]

Pendleton was a contestant on series 10 of Strictly Come Dancing,[40] in which her professional partner was Brendan Cole.[41] She was the seventh of the fourteen celebrities to leave the show on 25 November. [42]

Pendleton's autobiography Between the Lines was released following her retirement in September 2012.[43][44]

Personal life [edit]

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.[45] Following the 2008 Olympics, when it became more widely known, Gardner was obliged to leave the team, though he was later re-hired; the couple are now engaged.[46]

For her 30th birthday, Pendleton had a line from The Smashing Pumpkins' song "Today" tattooed onto her right arm.[47] As of 2012, she lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire.[48]

Palmarès [edit]

1999
3rd Sprint, British National Track Championships
2000
3rd Sprint, British National Track Championships
2001
2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships
2nd 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
2nd Scratch Race, British National Track Championships
3rd Points Race, British National Track Championships
2002
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
2003
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Scratch Race, British National Track Championships
3rd Points Race, British National Track Championships
2004
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
2005
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Scratch Race, British National Track Championships
2006
1st Gold medal blank.svg Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Time Trial, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Scratch Race, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom British National Derny Championships
2007
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st Arc en ciel.svg Team Sprint (with Shanaze Reade), World Track Championships
1st Arc en ciel.svg Keirin, World Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom British National Derny Championships
2008
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st Arc en ciel.svg Team Sprint (with Shanaze Reade), World Track Championships
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Keirin, World Track Championships
1st Gold medal olympic.svg Sprint, 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Team Sprint (with Anna Blyth), British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Keirin, British National Track Championships
2009
3rd Bronze medal blank.svg 500 m Time Trial, World Track Championships
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Team Sprint (with Shanaze Reade), World Track Championships
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st United Kingdom 500m Time Trial, British National Track Championships
1st United Kingdom Sprint, British National Track Championships
2010
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Keirin, World Track Championships
2011
2nd Silver medal blank.svg Team Sprint (with Jessica Varnish), World Track Championships
3rd Bronze medal blank.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st Gold medal blank.svg Team Sprint (with Jessica Varnish), European Track Championships
2012
1st Arc en ciel.svg Sprint, World Track Championships
1st Gold medal blank.svg Team Sprint (with Jessica Varnish), Track World Cup Classics
1st Gold medal olympic.svg Keirin, 2012 Olympic Games, London
2nd Silver medal olympic.svg Sprint, 2012 Olympic Games, London

See also [edit]

Portal icon Cycling portal
Portal icon Olympics portal

References [edit]

  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. ^ a b c "Victoria Pendleton – Olympic Record". British Olympic Association. 
  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". 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. ^ "The first British woman to win gold in the World Cycling Championships". Radio 4, Woman's Hour Interview. 
  11. ^ Simon Baskett (1 April 2007). "Pendleton completes flawless worlds with third gold". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2007. 
  12. ^ Maul, Robert (20 November 2007). "Victoria Pendleton named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved 27 May 2010. 
  13. ^ "Victoria Pendleton Voted Sportswoman of the Year". British Cycling. 13 December 2007. 
  14. ^ Williams, Ollie (6 April 2012). "Victoria Pendleton wins sprint gold despite crash". BBC Sport. Melbourne: BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  15. ^ "Victoria Pendleton, Shanaze Reade beat China to win team sprint". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  16. ^ "Jennie Reed wins keirin gold for US". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 30 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  17. ^ "Briton Pendleton wins sprint gold". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  18. ^ Andrew Longmore (29 March 2008). "Proud Victoria Pendleton cries tears of joy". The Sunday Times (London). 
  19. ^ "Aussie Meares outshines Pendleton". BBC News. 27 March 2011. 
  20. ^ "Sir Chris Hoy wins second gold at the National Track Championships". BBC Sport. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  21. ^ "British gold medals mask sprint error". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  22. ^ Williams, Ollie (23 October 2011). "BBC Sport – Euro Track Cycling: Victoria Pendleton leads haul of four British golds". BBC. Retrieved 7 July 2012. 
  23. ^ "Track World Cup: Great Britain win two golds at Olympic Velodrome". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012. 
  24. ^ "BBC Sport – Track World Cup: Sir Chris Hoy and Joanna Rowsell win gold". BBC. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012. 
  25. ^ "BBC Sport – Track World Cup: Sir Chris Hoy storms to sprint gold in London". BBC. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012. 
  26. ^ "Track Worlds: Victoria Pendleton wins sprint gold despite crash". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012. 
  27. ^ "Track Worlds: Great Britain beat Australia with world record". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012. 
  28. ^ "Track Worlds: Laura Trott wins omnium as Kenny beats Hoy". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012. 
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ Victoria Pendleton wins gold in the women's keirin at London 2012 Olympics. www.telegraph.co.uk. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  31. ^ Women's Sprint : Records. London 2012 official website.
  32. ^ Meares outsprints arch-rival Pendleton. Reuters. 7 August 2012.
  33. ^ Eddie Allen (7 August 2012).Relief for Pendleton after sprint swansong: “I can't believe it's all over”. www.britishcycling.org.uk.
  34. ^ French, Paul (26 May 2009). "Victoria Pendleton changes gear for FHM!". FHM. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 16 April 2012. 
  35. ^ Victoria in stunning Harper’s Bazaar shoot. Victoria Pendleton official website. 6 December 2011.
  36. ^ "Victoria Pendleton & Halfords Team Up For Women's Cycle Range". BikeRadar. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012. 
  37. ^ Victoria to be the Pantene Pro V Ambassador for P&G. Victoria Pendleton official website. 30 November 2011.
  38. ^ "Victoria Pendleton: Cycling's Golden Girl". BBC News. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012. 
  39. ^ 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. 
  40. ^ "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. 
  41. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing judges praise Victoria Pendleton's 'perfect' pairing". metro.co.uk. Metro. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012. 
  42. ^ "Victoria Pendleton leaves Strictly". BBC. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012. 
  43. ^ Bathurst, Bella (21 September 2012). "Between the Lines by Victoria Pendleton – review". The Observer. uardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 28 September 2012. 
  44. ^ 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. 
  45. ^ "Victoria Pendleton admits British Cycling friction over relationship". BBC Sport. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012. 
  46. ^ "The affair that nearly destroyed Queen Victoria". Daily Mail. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012. 
  47. ^ Chadband, Ian (3 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: British cycling star Victoria Pendleton admits she 'hates' racing". Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2012. 
  48. ^ "My Perfect Sunday: Victoria Pendleton", The Telegraph, 24 January 2012, retrieved 9 December 2012 

Bibliography [edit]

External links [edit]

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  • 2012: Victoria Pendleton (GBR)
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