Victoria Pendleton

Victoria Pendleton CBE is one of Britain’s most successful and inspiring athletes, a double Olympic gold medallist, nine-time World Champion and one of the most recognisable figures in British sport. Known as the face of British cycling, she dominated the world of track sprinting for over a decade, combining exceptional power and technical precision with an unrelenting competitive spirit. Her career achievements include 14 international gold medals across the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games, along with appointments as MBE and later CBE for her services to cycling. In 2023, she was inducted into the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame, recognising her outstanding contribution to the sport.

Victoria made her Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games, competing in the 200 metre sprint and finishing ninth. Four years later in Beijing, she reached the pinnacle of her sport by winning her first Olympic gold medal in the individual sprint. At the 2012 London Olympics, she added a second gold in the keirin and broke the world record in the team sprint qualifying stage, cementing her legacy as one of Britain’s most accomplished Olympians. Alongside her Olympic success, Victoria claimed nine World Championship titles between 2005 and 2012, two European Championship golds and Commonwealth gold in 2006 in Melbourne.

Following her retirement from professional cycling, Victoria continued to challenge herself in new arenas. She made headlines with her transition into competitive horse racing, riding in events such as the 2015 Betfair Novice Flat Amateur Riders’ Handicap and finishing fifth in the 2016 Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham. Away from sport, she has become a respected commentator and presenter, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and has partnered with major brands such as Clinique to inspire women to pursue confidence, strength and authenticity in every field.

As an author, Victoria shared her remarkable journey in her autobiography Between the Lines, an honest account of ambition, pressure and self-discovery. Today, she is a sought-after motivational speaker whose talks explore themes of resilience, reinvention and the pursuit of excellence. Drawing on her own experiences of triumph and transition, she offers a powerful message about overcoming challenges and striving to be the best version of oneself, both on and off the track.