Victoria Pendleton

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.

As a professional track cyclist, I have always challenged myself, and I enjoy seeing how I cope when faced with the unknown.

I am a self-critical perfectionist.

I've always been very open with my emotions. Actually, that's got me into a lot of trouble, too, in the past.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 put on a pony as a kid at some birthday party when you're all led around.

I've never pretended that I'm not female and vulnerable. To me, it's just being honest.

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.