Lizzie Armitstead

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

I've never thought about it in training, 'If I do this, then maybe I can be on the SPOTY shortlist.'

You can't expect a woman who's holding down a part-time job to train for the biggest race in the world. She has to have a minimum wage, and I think it's something that is pretty crazy that we don't have that.

I remember if the telephone rang after 9 o'clock in the house, my mother would say, 'Who's ringing at this time?' We just wouldn't answer the phone.

It's not always about gold medals, I think. It has to be about development, and we are missing that in U.K. at the moment.

There is no pathway for female GB road cyclists, but at the same time, if you are wanting to be the best in the world, you have to forge your own pathway. It's not that things should be there on a plate for you. You have to work really hard, and that's what I've done, and I didn't let it stop me.

It's something that can get overwhelming and frustrating, the sexism I experience in my career. It's just obviously a big issue in women's sport, like salaries, media coverage, just general things that you have to cope with in your career.

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!

I have to be a leader now. I need to shoulder responsibility more than I used to. It's changed me, but I'm OK with that.

A family is something that I definitely want, but I'm 26, so I have plenty of time, and I try not to kind of confuse the two because, if I'm lucky enough, I want to make having a baby a personal decision rather than a career-defined one.