Through her cycling career she regularly topped the podium – so it’s a surprise to hear Victoria Pendleton say she hasn’t always felt that confident. ‘At school I was quite shy,’ she says. ‘I refused to speak out loud in English literature, because I was afraid of stumbling over my words in front of my peers.’ What’s made the difference? Sport – and getting older: Victoria turns 36 in September. ‘I’m a lot more settled and less uncertain about what to do next, how I should make decisions or what I should or shouldn’t be doing,’ she says. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt better.’
“LEARNING HOW TO RACE HORSES AS AN ADULT IS CRAZY”