Victoria Pendleton facts for kids
Pendleton in 2011
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Victoria Louise Pendleton |
| Nickname | Queen Victoria |
| Born | 24 September 1980 Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb; 9.8 st) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Track |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
Victoria Louise Pendleton, born on September 24, 1980, is a famous British former track cyclist. She was amazing at sprint, team sprint, and keirin races. Victoria is an Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth champion.
With two Olympic gold medals and one silver, she is one of Great Britain's most successful female Olympians. Victoria represented Great Britain and England in international cycling. She won nine world titles, including a record six in the individual sprint. She was the best in this event from 2005 to 2012.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she won gold in the sprint. Then, at the 2012 London Olympics, she won gold in the keirin and silver in the sprint. For her great achievements in cycling, she received special honors from the Queen. She is also part of the European Cycling Union Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Victoria Pendleton and her twin brother, Alex, were born on September 24, 1980, in Stotfold, England. Her father, Max Pendleton, was also a successful cyclist. He was a British National 8 km grass track cycling champion.
Starting Cycling Young
Victoria began cycling at a very young age. She rode her first race, a 400-meter event, when she was just nine years old. This race took place on a grass track at the Mildenhall Cycling Club.
Balancing School and Sport
By age 13, Victoria showed great promise in cycling. Three years later, a national track coach noticed her talent. However, Victoria wanted to focus on her education first. She studied at Fearnhill School and later earned a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Northumbria University. She continued to have success in cycling while she was a student. After graduating, she became a full-time professional cyclist.
Cycling Career Highlights
Victoria Pendleton's professional cycling career was full of amazing wins and records. She became known as one of the fastest female cyclists in the world.
Early Professional Races
Even while still a student in 2001, Victoria won several medals at the British National Track Championships. From 2002 to 2004, she trained at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland. She competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, finishing fourth in the sprint. She also placed fourth in the sprint at the World Championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she ranked second overall in the World Cup for sprint, winning an event in Manchester.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the time trial and ninth in the 200-meter sprint.
Becoming a World Champion
Victoria won her first big medal in 2005. She took home the gold in the sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. This made her only the third British woman in 40 years to become a cycling world champion.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won a silver medal in the 500-meter time trial. She also won a gold medal in the sprint.
Dominating the Sport
The year 2007 was incredible for Victoria. At the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, she won three gold medals! She won the team sprint with Shanaze Reade, the individual sprint, and the keirin. Because of her success, she was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007. She was the first cyclist to ever win this award.
Leading up to the 2008 Olympics, Victoria won two more gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She won the sprint and the team sprint with Shanaze Reade again. She also earned a silver medal in the keirin. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Victoria achieved her dream by winning the gold medal in the sprint.
She continued her winning streak in 2009, keeping her sprint title at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Her races were very close, but she always came out on top.
Final Years in Cycling
At the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Victoria won a silver medal in the team sprint and a bronze in the individual sprint. She also won the team sprint and keirin titles at the 2011 European Track Championships.
In February 2012, Victoria and her teammate Jess Varnish set a new world record in the team sprint. This happened at the Track World Cup in London. In her final UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2012, Victoria won the sprint, which was her sixth world title in that event.
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At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Victoria and Jess Varnish broke the world record in the team sprint qualifying round. Victoria then won a gold medal in the keirin. She also set a new Olympic record in the sprint qualifiers. In the sprint final, she won a silver medal. This was Victoria's last professional cycling race before she retired.
Life After Cycling
After retiring from cycling, Victoria Pendleton explored other sports and activities.
Horse Racing
In 2015, Victoria announced she wanted to become a jockey. Her goal was to compete in a big horse race called the Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2016. She started racing horses in August 2015 and finished second in her first race. On March 2, 2016, she won her first race as a jockey.
On March 18, 2016, Victoria achieved her goal of racing at the Cheltenham Festival. She finished fifth in the Foxhunter Chase, which was better than many people expected. She said it was "probably the greatest achievement of my life."
Other Activities
In 2017, Victoria even tried jousting, a medieval sport, at Kenilworth Castle. She learned the basic training and gained a lot of respect for the sport.
Victoria has also appeared in magazines and worked as a design consultant for a range of women's bikes. She was a brand ambassador for hair-care products. In 2012, she was a contestant on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. Her autobiography, Between the Lines, was published after she retired from cycling.
In 2018, she attempted to climb Mount Everest for charity with TV presenter Ben Fogle. She had to stop at Base Camp 2 due to a lack of oxygen, but Ben Fogle reached the summit.
In July 2024, Victoria was made an Honorary Colonel and ambassador for the Royal Marines. She also appeared on the TV show The Dog House in January 2025, where she adopted a rescued dog.
Personal Life
Victoria Pendleton was married to Scott Gardner, a sports scientist. They married in September 2013. In July 2018, they announced their separation.
Victoria has a tattoo on her right arm with a line from a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. She has lived in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and later moved to the Chilterns. In 2023, she shared the sad news that her twin brother, Alex, had passed away.
Images for kids
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National cycling champion jersey
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Rainbow jersey
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Gold medal
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Silver medal
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Bronze medal
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Gold medal
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Silver medal
See also
In Spanish: Victoria Pendleton para niños
