Victoria Pendleton wins cycling gold for GB in women's keirin - BBC Sport BBC Sport Victoria Pendleton wins cycling gold for GB in women's keirin By Matt Slater BBC Sport at the London Velodrome 3 Aug 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device Pendleton wins gold in the Keirin Victoria Pendleton capped a sensational evening for Britain's track cyclists with victory in the women's keirin. Media playback is not supported on this device Pendleton delighted with gold The 31-year-old Briton, who retires after London 2012, adds a second gold to the one she won in the sprint at the Beijing Games in 2008. Pendleton hit the front at the bell and held off a late charge from China's Guo Shuang, with Hong Kong's Wai Sze Lee a surprise bronze medallist. "I can barely believe it right now," Pendleton said. "Thank you so much to everyone who's helped me get here. The crowd have been fantastic and it really helped me today." Australia's Anna Meares, the pre-race favourite, could only finish fifth.

The race - a frenetic affair that starts with the riders following a small motorbike for five-and-a-half laps before being released to sprint the final 625 metres - came only half an hour after the claimed gold in a new world record. 2012 track cycling golds Britain have won seven out of 10 track cycling gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics And that superlative performance followed another world record display in their qualifying round. By the time the six riders in the last race of the evening took to the track, the noise was deafening. Not that this race needed much of a build-up. Meares v Pendleton was one of the most eagerly anticipated contests coming into these Games, with the 28-year-old Queenslander expected to get the better of her British rival in the keirin, an event she has won at the last two World Championships. But Pendleton looked in great form during her ultimately fruitless rides The Bedfordshire-born star was disqualified from the event, with partner Jess Varnish, when Pendleton slightly mistimed a changeover.

Media playback is not supported on this device Victoria Pendleton was tearful as she collected her gold medal at the London Velodrome The raw speed she exhibited, however, was noticeable, and expectations of a keirin classic grew when both Meares and Pendleton were comfortable winners of their semi-finals. But British cycling's glamour girl blew her rival away in the final with a burst down the back straight that catapulted her from fourth to first with 250m to ride. Guo pushed hard but there was no getting around Pendleton, who now looks to have an excellent chance of finishing her career with another gold medal in the women's sprint, which starts on Sunday. She has won six world titles in that event, as well as her 2008 Olympic crown. Final Results Victoria Pendleton wins gold in the women's keirin at London 2012 Olympics - Telegraph Cycling Victoria Pendleton wins gold in the women's keirin at London 2012 Olympics Victoria Pendleton claimed Great Britain's third gold medal in two days of competition at the London 2012 Olympic velodrome with a stunning triumph in the keirin.

Golden girl: medal in hand Photo: ACTION IMAGES Follow Moments after watching Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh and Steven Burke clock a world record three minutes 51.659 seconds to triumph by a supreme margin ahead of arch-rivals Australia, Pendleton delivered in her least favoured event. In the event which begins behind a motorised Derny bike, the 31-year-old from Stotfold, who is set to retire after London 2012, stormed to victory. Guo Shuang of China was second, with Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong third. The win sparked jubilant scenes from coach Jan van Eijden, British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford and head coach Shane Sutton and was Britain's third gold medal of the track programme after Sir Chris Hoy, Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny won the men's team sprint on day one. It was Britain's third success from four events. It was Pendleton's second gold after her Olympic sprint title in 2008 and continued an eventful final competition for the multiple world champion.

Related Articles London 2012: Victoria Pendleton Wins Gold For Team GB In Keirin | The Huffington Post London 2012: Victoria Pendleton Wins Gold For Team GB In Keirin 03/08/2012 19:27 | Updated 03 October 2012 PA There was triple golden glory for the British team on Friday as Victoria Pendleton became queen of the velodrome, its cyclists smashed a world record and rower Katherine Grainger finally realised her Olympic dream. Pendleton made up for the bitter disappointment of being relegated from the team sprint and produced a storming finish to take the gold medal in the women's keirin. Pendleton celebrates victory in the Keirin in front of the velodrome crowd And with cycling hero Bradley Wiggins looking on, the men's team pursuit squad added gold with an emphatic performance which shattered the world record leaving rivals Australia trailing in their wake. Pendleton said: "I can barely believe it. The crowd have been fantastic - they really helped me tonight." The three golds pushed Team GB to third in the medals table with 21 - eight gold, six silver and seven bronze.

At the same point in the hugely-successful Beijing Games Britain had won just eight medals. There is the prospect of another gold tonight with Rebecca Adlington bidding to become the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title in the 800m final. Pendleton cycles around the velodrome with the Union flag Thomas told the BBC: "The crowd is unbelievable. My ears are ringing. It's too loud." After three consecutive silver medals Grainger had feared she would always be the bridesmaid at the Games, but she put those days behind her as she stormed to victory with her double sculls partner, Anna Watkins. The scene could not have been further removed from the devastating defeat in Beijing four years ago when Grainger missed out on gold. Then, she was left distraught and contemplating retirement. But that heartache was forgotten today as she accepted her place at the top of her sport. She told the BBC that, unlike in Beijing, she would now be crying tears of joy. "It was worth the wait," she said, adding: "I feel this medal, of all of them, is the people's medal. I feel so many people have been behind me and supported me and wanted this for me as much as I have.

"It's off the back of everyone I've ever worked with, everyone I've ever rowed with, everyone who's helped me, going back to my family who were there from the beginning, to my friends at school, university. Their win followed more rowing triumph for Team GB which came when George Nash and William Satch took bronze in the men's pair and Alan Campbell took bronze in the men's single sculls . Another bronze went to veteran British judo heavyweight Karina Bryant, who finally claimed an Olympic medal in a fight against Iryna Kindzerska of Ukraine. Another gold medal hope, Jessica Ennis, made a sensational start in the heptathlon, setting a new record in the 100m hurdles which propelled her to the top of the leader board. In the first day of athletics at the Games, only a handful of seats in the 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium were empty as the 26-year-old recorded the fastest time ever for the 100m hurdles, smashing her personal best with an exhilarating run of 12.54 seconds. A sensational performance in the high jump followed, giving the athlete a 25-point lead after two events.

Ennis admitted she was stunned by the size of the crowd and her achievement in the hurdles. "Stepping into the stadium before the hurdles, it just blew me away to be honest," she told the BBC. "The crowd and how they got behind me was amazing. It was a great start to the day. Olympics Day 7 Victoria Pendleton and GB pursuit team win gold: Olympic cycling – as it happened | Barry Glendenning | Sport | The Guardian Victoria Pendleton and GB pursuit team win gold: Olympic cycling – as it happened Friday 3 August 2012 10.10 EDT First published on Monday 3 September 2012 09.37 EDT Britain's men's team pursuit riders 7.28pm BST Expect to see no end of "Queen Vic" headlines in tomorrow's newspapers 7.26pm BST And not for the first time in a medal presentation The Guardian hamster stops running on its wheel to stand to attention and the tool crashes again. You know the drill anyway: Pendleton held it together until the very end of the national anthem and then burst into tears at the end of it. 7.16pm BST A hug for Scott ...

Pendleton cycles halfway around the track to the British team's pit crew, poses once again with a Union Jack and then hugs assorted coaches and backroom team members, before burying her head in her hubby-to-be's shoulder. A backroom boffin and sports scientist for Great Britain, he's likely to be one of very few happy Aussies in London tonight. They're having a shocking Olympics by their own high standards. 7.10pm BST Gold: Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) Silver: Shuang Guo (China) Bronze: Sze Wai Lee (Hong Kong) 7.09pm BST The one-two-three in the women's keirin More bad news for Australia, I'm afraid: Anna Meares finished second-last. The Chinese rider Shuang Guo was second behind Pendleton and Wai Lee was third. 7.08pm BST Pendleton does her victory lap Well, she's no choice really,; there are no brakes on those bikes so it's the only way you can slow down. She pulls into the trackside where she's handed a Union Jack, which she poses with briefly before handing it to somebody in the crowd.

7.06pm BST PENDLETON WINS GOLD FOR BRITAIN!!! Pendleton takes it up over a lap out and wins by about the diameter of a wheel! 7.05pm BST The bloke on the pace motorbiuke ducks out ... And it's go ... go ... go!!! 7.04pm BST Pendleton starts on the outside The bloke on the bike ambles past and the riders set off in single file. Pendleton takes up a position three back, with Meares in fifth. The Frenchwoman Sanchez separates the pair of them ... 7.02pm BST Women's team keirin final now!!! It's the final race of the evening and this is the field: Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain), Anna Meares (Australia), Monique Sullivan (Canada), Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong), Clara Sanchez (France), Shuang Guo (China). 7.00pm BST Apologies for break in radio contact I was trying to upload a photo of Geraint Thomas and everything crashed. I was also face-palming myself repeatedly for referring to Great Britain as England (grievous error now fixed). Mr Thomas wouldn't be too pleased with that.

I'm not sure what it is about our new blogging tool, but as soon as it seems to automatically stop working properly just before or after important bicycle races: the men's road, the men's team sprint yesterday, the men's team pursuit today ... 6.49pm BST It's medal presentation time New Zealand step on to the podium to receive their bronze medals, showing no obvious outward signs of embarrassment at finishing behind Australia. Next up are the vanquished World Champions, who get a great reception, but look a bit miffed, it must be said. Next come Great Britain, who wave to all four corners of the Velodrome, a building with no corners, then receive their gold medals. All rise for the national anthem. Updated 6.37pm BST Mrs Wiggins dances in the stands While Geraint Thomas cycles over to his missus to get a kiss and a cuddle, while his team-mates dismount from their bicycles and milk the applause of the crowd. To paraphrase Alan Partridge, that was liquid cycling, by men in Lycra who look a bit like cows on bikes. Very fast cows, mind.

Edward Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh have broken the world record twice this evening, and probably could have done it three times if they'd gone full gas in their opening match. Their average speed in the ifnal was 62.160 and all four cyclists finished together. Three-man Australia limped home a whopping 2.922 seconds behind - an eternity in top class track cycling. 6.33pm BST GREAT BRITAIN TAKE GOLD!!! Britain lead: 1:02.518 v Australia's 1:02.828. 6.29pm BST Men's team pursuit final: Britain v Australia Edward Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh go for Great Britain. Jack Bobridge, Glenn O'Shea, Rohan Dennis and Michael Hepburn are in the canary yello ... sorry, Aussie gold skinsuits. The clock counts down, the crowd erupts and they're off.

6.27pm BST New Zealand take bronze in the men's team pursuit The Kiwis book their place on the lowest step of the podium, completing their 4,000m in a time of 3:55.952, thrashing the Russians, who finished the course in 3:58.282. New Zealand take bronze! 6.24pm BST Men's team pursuit bronze medal match New Zealand take on Russia and at the 2,000 metre mark the eastern European side are fractionally ahead. 6.23pm BST Men's team pursuit match to decide fifth and sixth Denmark beat Spain: 4:02.671 v 4:02.746. That's a paddlin'. 5.54pm BST BRITAIN SET A NEW WORLD RECORD!!! Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Roswell complete their 3,000m in 3:15.669, breaking the world record in the process by travelling at an average speed of over 55km/h. Hats off.

5.52pm BST Britain are out doing their women's team pursuit prelim And the time to beat is 3:19.406 set by ... um ... 5.50pm BST 5.45pm BST The bloke riding the derny for the keirin isn't a French peasant " I think you'll find that's Peter, a very well respected coach and all round nice chap from Manchester Velodrome," writes Miles Wikinson. 5.43pm BST Bradley Wiggins enjoys a refreshing sip of cool, refreshing IOC-approved suds 5.41pm BST A snippet from the Washington Post Barney ronay has just steeered me in the direction of this story , about some shenanigans in the Velodrome yesterday. "A spectator at the London Olympics has been arrested and fined after officials say he and two other people verbally abused the family of an Australian track cyclist," it says. "Police say the three were ejected from the London Velodrome on Thursday night. They are reported to have hurled abuse at the family of Kaarle McCulloch. She was bronze in the women’s team sprint with Anna Meares." Interestingly ...

or not, when myself and Guardian Olympics Ed Steve McMillan and I were getting a shuttle bus back from the Velodrome to the main media centre last night, Ms McCulloch was sitting right behind us on the bus, texting away with her bronze medal hanging around her neck and her posey of Olympic flowers beside her on the seat. I can assure everyone that we did not abuse her in anyway, we just kind of stared at her a bit ... like you do when you see an Olympic medallist sitting behind you on a double decker bus. 5.36pm BST Women's team pursuit preliminary latest This is the equivalent of the interval at the theatre: an opportunity for everybody to go to the loo, stock up on overpriced IOC-approved snacks and beverages and get back to their seats for the main events: the sharp end of the women's keirin and men's team pursuit. Team USA are whizzing around the track at the moment, the seventh of 10 teams particpating. Australia are next, then New Zealand and Great Britain will be whipping them in.

5.33pm BST An email from the Far East "It is past midnight in Hong Kong, but my husband and I are sitting here riveted by your live feed writing, write Zoe and Ian, putting their names in an order that pretty much confirms who wears the trousers in that particular relationship. "We have to get up early, please will you be less amusing for a while? Also, perhaps you can help us clarify...We were a bit confused about the difference between a velodrome and a velociraptor, but feel that both seem to make the cyclists faster." 5.30pm BST I have in my hand a piece of paper And I should really put it down so I don't have to type one-handed. It's the start list for the two heats of the women's keirin, from which the first three home in each will progress to the final Heat one: Meares (Aus), Sullivan (Can), Vogel (Germany), Lee (HK), Krupeckwaite (Ltu), Kanis (Ned) Heat two: Sanchez (Fra), Guo (China), Pendleton (GB), Hansen (NZ), Gnidenko (Russia), Larreal (Ven).

5.19pm BST Edward Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh of Great Britain wait to compete in the men's team pursuit 5.16pm BST Women's team pursuit preliminaries are go ... The 10 teams are just doing their 3,000m spins around the track one by one. The eight teams recording the best times in qualifying shall be matched in tomorrow's first round in the order as follows: sixth v seventh, fifth v eighth, second v third and fastest v fourth. The winners of the last two matches above will contest the gold medal match. Representing Great Britain, who have yet to go out: Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Roswell. 5.09pm BST Along with yours truly, Barney Ronay and Donald McRae, Bradley Wiggins is one of several Guardian writers at the Velodrome this evening 5.03pm BST An email from Tim Phillips ...

Which may help divert attention away from the fact that I didn't get the names of the three women who qualified from the second of the two keirin repechages - I'll bring you up to speed just as soon as somebody dressed in Olympic volunteer livery hands me a sheet of paper. "I love the keirin," writes Tim. "But I think it would be better if the guy on the bike wore a gorilla suit." 4.58pm BST The men's team pursuit medal matches ... Will be as follows ... Gold medal: Great Britiain v Australia Bronze medal: New Zealand v Russia Spare a thought for the Danes who missed out on a place in the bronze medal match by .069 of a second. Updated That was Great Britain's average speed in that race. Not too shabby, eh? 4.46pm BST Great Britain go through to the final against Australia They finish 0.3 inside of the world record despite visibly holding back, beating Denmark by five seconds - at one stage it looked as if they might catch them, but they eased up in the last lap. Great Britain's time: 3:52.743.

New Zealand: 3:56.442. 4.42pm BST Men's team pursuit heat four: Great Britain v Denmark The winners of this will face Australia in the gold and silver match. Ed Clancey, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh set off in a race they're almost certain to win. After 2,000m, DGreat Britain have opened a gap of over two seconds. 4.40pm BST Men's team pursuit heat three: Australia v New Zealand The front man drops off each team with three laps of the track to go, after performing the "death pull" - putting in such a huge shift that they're unable to keep up after peeling off the front (it's the time of the third of the four men home that's counted). New Zealand's formation falls apart - there's huge gaps between their remaining three riders over the last lap. Australia win with a time of 3:54.317 - they'll contest the gold and silver match against Great Britain or Denmark. New Zealand's time of 3:56.442, which should get them into the bronze medal match.

4.33pm BST Men's team pursuit heat two: Russia v Netherlands Russia prevail in 3:57.327, the fastest time so far - which could well get them into the bronze medal match. Next up it's an Antipodean needle match: Australia v New Zealand. Updated 4.30pm BST Men's team pursuit heat one: Spain v Colombia The Spanish prevail in 3:59.520, but being Brit-centric we don't really need to concern ourselves with them. NB The two winning teams in heats three and four (Australia v New Zealand and Great Britain v Denmark) will compete for the gold medal. The remaining six teams will be ranked according to their times from this round and will dispute the finals as follows: the two fastest will ride for bronze and fourth place. The next two fastest will ride the finals for fifth and sixth places. The final two teams will ride the final for seventh and eighth places. Updated 4.23pm BST Shuang Guo wins for China She's followed home by the Lithuanian rider, Simona Krupeckaite.

Our six fastest riders were: Shunag Guo (China), Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania), Victoria Pendleton (Britain), Anna Meares (Australia), Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia) and Kristina Vogel (Germany). They'll advance straight to the second round, while the others will have to duke it out in the repechages to see who joins them. If it all seems a bit convuluted (and it is), the crucial thing to remember is that come final time, the six riders above will all have ridden one less race than the others, which will obviously put them at an obvious advantage. 4.15pm BST Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) Daniela Larreal (Venezuela) The gun goes again, everybody gets startled again - you never get used to it. Around and around they go, the French peasant leading them in single file for five laps before he peels away and they fight out the race amongst themselves. 4.12pm BST Pendleton beats Meares by a whisker Queen Vic got on the Austraslian's wheel with three laps to go.

The pair were well down the field but passed their rivals on the back straight in the last lap and the Brit got her nose in front right on the line. 4.11pm BST I think Pendleton beat Meares ... Will be back with confirmation in a second 4.10pm BST Natasha Hansen (New Zealand) Lyubov Shulika (Ukraine) The starter shoots his pistol and the riders form an orderly queue behind the motrobike, which is being ridden by somebody dressed all in black, who looks the sort who should have a shopping basket on the front, possibly containing a baguette, some cheese and a nice bottle of red wine. 4.07pm BST Kristina Vogel wins heat one ... The German yomps home at her leisure ahead of Russia's Ekaterina Gnidenko, while my estimable colleague Barney Ronay muses that "this is just ridiculous". Britain may have caught the cycling bug in recent weeks, but I don't think we'll be seeing Ronay out on his penny farthing any time soon.

4.04pm BST Some Spaniards, riding in circles on Siberian pine 3.54pm BST An idiot's guide to women's team pursuit While the men's equivalent is contested over 16 laps (four kilometres) by a team of four riders, the women's version is competed over a shorter distance of 12 laps (three kilometres) by three riders. The objective is to cover the distance in the fastest time, or catch and over take the other team in a final. Riders in a team follow each other closely in line to minimise total drag and periodically, the lead rider peels off the front, swings up the track banking and rejoins the team at the rear. The team pursuit starts with a qualifying round. Teams are seeded in the first round according to their qualifying times – the fastest team competes against the fourth fastest, second competes against third, fifth against eighth and sixth against seventh. The winners of the two heats between the top four teams advance to the finals; the remaining six teams are ranked according to their times from the first round, with the best two competing for bronze. Bewildered? Me too. This track cycling business is bonkers. 3.53pm BST Some mood music ...

The man on the PA is currently encouraging all present at the Velodrome to "make some noise!", while simultaneously stressing that they should only do so at certain times, as the cyclists need to be able to hear the beeps counting down to the start of their races. They seem content enough with that - yesterday's mob were a noisey rabble who required a lot of shushing. Probably David Cameron and Prince Harry ... 3.42pm BST Pendleton watch (an addendum) She's back in the chair! I repeat, Victoria Pendleton is back in the chair! It's difficult to see her because she's changed into her kit and is leaning against a Union Jack backdrop, but it's definitely her. Sound the klaxon! Vicky Pendleton is sitting in a chair again. Updated 3.39pm BST Pendleton watch I can exclsuively reveal that Victoria Pendleton was sitting slumped back, motionless in a chair wearing a white T-shirt, sunglasses and headphones in the British section of the "pits" earlier.

She did so for so long that myself and Barney Ronay, who is sitting alongside me in the press box (expect 800 words of amusing bike-related whimsy in tomorrow's newspaper) genuinely began to worry that she might be either asleep or dead. I can report that she has since moved and the chair in which she had been sitting is now unoccupied. Ronay has now moved on to marvelling at the enormous size of particular cyclists thighs. We can exclusively reveal that Britain's Victoria Pendleton sat motionless in a chair (not pictured) earlier this afternoon 3.31pm BST An idiot's guide to men's team pursuit The team pursuit starts with a qualifying round, which took place here yesterday. Teams are seeded in the first round according to their qualifying times – the fastest team competes against the fourth fastest, second competes against third, fifth against eighth and sixth against seventh. The winners of the two heats between the top four teams advance to the finals; the remaining six teams are ranked according to their times from the first round, with the best two teams competing for bronze. After yesterday's qualifying round, here are the heats we can look forward to this afternoon.

Heat one: Spain v Colombia Heat two: Russia v Netherlands Heat three: Australia v New Zealand Heat four:Great Britain v Denmark 3.30pm BST Guardian cycling correspondent Will Fotheringham ... Is sitting two down from me here in the press box, but is too embarrassed to ask me to draw your attention to this article he wrote about the boot camp undertaken by the British men's team pursuit boys during the winter. 3.26pm BST William Fotheringham (@willfoth) in other news Vicky P has drawn Meares in tough heat for keirin with Shulika and Kanis.

4:00pm: Women's keirin first round 4:18pm: Men's team pursuit first round 4:43pm: Women's keirin first round repechages 4:56pm: Women's team pursuit qualifying 5:46pm: Women's keirin second round 5:59pm: Men's team pursuit finals 6:38pm: Women's keirin finals This trio's astonishing run of luck in the Olympic ticket lottery meant they were able to attend the velodrome yesterday 3.19pm BST An idiot's guide to the women's keirin Ah, the keirin. Yes, it's that race in which all the riders follow some bloke on a motorbike around the track and then Sir Chris Hoy wins. Except as good as he is, he won't win today, because it's the women's keirin, starring Miss Victoria Pendleton, who'll be eager to make up for yesterday's disappointment, when herself and Jess Varnish were relegated from their heat of the women's team sprint and left the Velodrome empty-handed.

The 2012 Olympics are the first Games to feature women's keirin, which uses a motorbike as a race pace-setting vehicle (the pacer). From the start of the race until the pacer leaves the track, the cyclists vie strenuously against each other to capture and hold the best position. The last lap is a final spurt that decides the outcome. Having originated in Japan as an event staged largely to facilitate gambling, the key difference between Japanese and the Olympic keirin is the lack of an orderly line behind the motorbike in the Japanese version. The event starts with heats (with repechages), with the best 12 riders progressing to the second round. The top six riders go through from the second round to the final, with the bottom six competing again for the 7-12th place rankings. Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton arrives at the Velodrome Updated London Olympics: Victoria Pendleton wins gold in women's keirin track cycling : Latest News - London Olympics 2012, News - India Today A + A - Victoria Pendleton celebrates after winning the women's keirin track cycling event.

Britain's Victoria Pendleton fought off a determined charge from China's Shuang Guo to win the women's keirin track cycling event at London Olympics on Friday. Pendleton surged past the field on the outside soon after the derny departed the track, stretching out a considerable lead, but was almost reeled in by Guo, who took silver and Hong Kong's bronze medallist Lee Wai Sze. For Pendleton, 31, the result was consolation after she was relegated in the women's team sprint on Thursday alongside partner Jess Varnish for an illegal changeover. She will also compete in the women's sprint on Sunday. Pendleton's gold was Britain's third of the day and fourth in cycling competitions so far. For more news from India Today, follow us on Twitter @indiatoday and on Facebook at facebook.com/IndiaToday For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in . ताज़ातरीन ख़बरों और वीडियो के लिए आजतक.इन पर आएं.

London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner Victoria Pendleton adjusting to life after cycling - Telegraph Cycling London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner Victoria Pendleton adjusting to life after cycling Anyone who followed Victoria Pendleton’s career will not be surprised to learn that her retirement from the saddle has not been entirely straightforward. Golden girl: Victoria Pendleton has taken a sabbatical after retiring from cycling Photo: Clara Molden Follow The cyclist who was renowned almost as much for her tears and traumas as her profusion of records and medals was never likely to enjoy a completely angst-free severance when she turned her back on the sport which had defined her. This is not someone for whom pleasure was ever easily won. “It’s strange. I feel in some ways as if I was institutionalised and now I’ve been released,” she says. “It’s a new way of living, there’s a lot more decision making. I still find myself saying: ‘I need to get to bed soon.’ Then I realise: ‘No, I don’t need to get to bed soon. I don’t have a bedtime any more.’ "Something so ingrained is hard to break.

I’m walking down the road and I suddenly feel guilty because I haven’t filled my whereabouts sheet out. Related Articles 'Boasson Hagen blow not vital' 12 Jul 2013 "Then I think, actually I don’t have to fill my whereabouts sheet out. The best way I can describe it is it’s a bit like entering the real world.” Though, for Pendleton, full engagement with the real world has not yet taken place. She retired after winning the keirin at the London Olympics and found it tough to adjust to her new way of life. “It’s hard without goals. I had a bit of a meltdown six months after the Olympics. I couldn’t see what the point was, where was the purpose in my life. "My mum said: ‘Look, just chill out, it’s quite normal. You’ve been doing this all your life. It’ll take time to adjust.’ That’s true. You know, this is the first year I haven’t owned a racing licence since the age of 12.” She describes her life since the Games as “a sabbatical”. “People keep asking what I’m up to and that’s the word I use. It sort of clarifies it.

I admit it has been daunting. And I do feel slightly frivolous.” It is an interesting adjective to choose, frivolous. But then Pendleton was always the most intense of competitors, revealing in a television documentary screened ahead of last summer’s triumph the mental toil that expectation had taken. Compared to the fearsomeness of her approach to her sport, anything else must seem light-hearted. “People ask me what I’m doing all the time and seem surprised when I haven’t got a grand plan mapped out,” she says. “Well, I haven’t got there yet.” Not that she has been without things to occupy her time. There was her not altogether successful appearance on Strictly Come Dancing (“I’d like to do that again, this time not straight after the Olympics when I was physically and emotionally exhausted”). There has been the corporate cycling days, the personal appearances, the work experience in the design department of Paul Smith. Not to mention organising next month’s wedding to her long-time boyfriend, Scott Gardener. What she has not yet done, however, is identify a clear path ahead. “I haven’t had a lot of experience of work outside sport. I pulled a few pints when I was at university and that’s about it.

After the wedding I’m going to address having a full-time objective. At the moment I’m lucky I don’t have to.” Although when pressed, she does admit to certain ambitions. “I’d love to do my personal-training qualifications. I genuinely love being in the gym, it would be nice to share that with people, encourage them, help those who may not feel they can do it by themselves. People say: ‘You wanna be a personal trainer, erm is that it?’ I say: ‘What’s wrong with that?’ “I’d actually just love to run a coffee shop. Cyclists love a nice coffee, they are renowned for it. Run a coffee shop, why not? Train as a barista. I haven’t got great expectation about what I should do. But whatever I do, I want to do it well. So it would be really nice coffee.” Her latest route to purpose is running. We meet in the athletics arena in London’s Battersea Park, where she is pounding the track ahead of taking part in the National Lottery’s Olympic Anniversary run next weekend.

To mark a year since the Games began, 15,000 members of the public have been invited to jog five miles round the Olympic Park and into the stadium, the first sports event in the arena since last September. They will be joined by the woman who won gold in the velodrome just over the way. And she says she can’t wait. Now she has parked her bike in the garage and hung up her cleated shoes, she is free to try out some different athletic pursuits. “I was never allowed to run when I was in training and I love it,” she says, and she looks the part too, lithe, quick and light-footed on the track. “The thing is, as a cyclist, you have big powerful muscles so you should be able to run quite fast, but your tendons aren’t used to any impact. I once got tendonitis running across a car park to get out of the rain. "The next day my knees felt really sore. I went to the medics and they said I had tendonitis.

From one little run.” Since retiring from competition, and shedding more than a stone of muscle (“I have put on some fat,” she admits) Pendleton says she has been able to do all sorts of things she could not before. Not just running, but going skiing and staying up late. Plus changing her diet. “I’ve gone a bit vegetarian,” she says. “I couldn’t do that as an athlete, you need your protein for recovery and muscle building. Now I’ve been choosing vegetarian food from the menu and feeling really reckless.” Not that her change of diet seems to have materially affected her. Even though, after finishing her training run, she pulls the peak of her cap down over her face and puts on the most enormous pair of sunglasses, it is possible to spot she looks in great shape: clear-skinned, glowing. “I’ve only got these on because I don’t want to get freckles in the sun,” she says of her attire. “Moment the sun comes out, I get freckles. And I don’t want to spoil the wedding photos.” She is certainly not trying to affect a disguise.

She says she has no problem with being recognised and seems genuinely surprised how often people approach her to express their thanks for what she did last summer. “I feel very lucky to have had that. I feel ‘wow, I was just doing my job, I had no idea it meant so much to other people’. I think everyone should be thanked and appreciated for doing their job. It would make the world a happier place. It’s special. More of that for everyone, please.” She will, no doubt, be thanked again next Sunday when she takes part in the anniversary run. That is if anyone can catch her. Presumably a woman of her competitive instincts will be keen to win. “Oh, God, no,” she says. “I do not miss the competition. At all. I used to race so that I could train, not train to race. Yes, I had a race face. "Of course I wanted to win when I was on the start line. But it was the training and the ritual I enjoyed. That’s what I miss: the structure, the routine. Competition?

If I never have to race again in my life, I’ll be delighted.” Though somehow, come next Sunday it is hard to imagine Victoria Pendleton will be happy to sit at the back of the pack, politely letting thousands finish ahead of her. London 2012: Victoria Pendleton bows out after final Olympic showdown | Sport | The Guardian Sportblog London 2012: Victoria Pendleton bows out after final Olympic showdown Victoria Pendleton and Anna Meares have been at war on the bike for a decade – the final meeting brought tears but also relief Victoria Pendleton shows her emotions after her final race on the bike. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Tuesday 7 August 2012 16.15 EDT First published on Tuesday 7 August 2012 16.15 EDT Share on Messenger Close At 5.45 on Tuesday evening Victoria Pendleton climbed on her sleek black racing bike for the very last time. In the second race of the Olympic final in the individual sprint, the great champion who has often loathed cycling as much as she loved it, went into the conclusive heat of battle against Anna Meares.

It promised storybook stuff, with a slightly darker hue, for Pendleton and Meares have been at war on the bike for a decade. The intensity of their rivalry had been defined nine minutes earlier when, after a mere thousandth of a second separated them in their opening race, Pendleton's apparent victory was transformed by the commissaries into a relegation. She had been punished for leaving the sprinters' lane and, suddenly, a thrilling triumph had been overturned. Pendleton needed to somehow dredge up the force within herself to win the next two races. Four months ago, in Melbourne, she did exactly that when, after falling hard on the track while crossing over into Meares's lane, Pendleton struck back to shock the Australian and become sprint world champion for a sixth time. On Tuesday night the saga finally drifted away into sporting history when Meares won a clear-cut victory in the second race to end any need for a decider. Pendleton cut a subdued figure compared to the imperious queen of the track she had appeared, until then, in these Olympics. Another disqualification, last Thursday night, when she and Jess Varnish lost a guaranteed silver medal in the team sprint, rose up in her head again.

And then Meares, who knows Pendleton so well after their bruising clashes of the past, turned the psychological screw. Leading Pendleton out, she quickly drew her former nemesis up the banking and forced a standstill. In recent years Meares has used this tactic repeatedly for, as their stationary bikes quiver, it allows the demons to circle slowly around Pendleton's head. The 31-year-old has never really been one to use such tactics herself – but in the past she has attempted not give into Meares's imposing bikestand. In the Olympic velodrome, however, as if she could bear the toying cat-and-mouse torture of the match sprint no longer, Pendleton reeled away. She rolled down the banking and assumed the more unwanted lead-out role. The crowd roared, as if the home favourite had gained an advantage, but the reality was more tangled. Pendleton had decided to rely on her speed. But she could not hold off Meares and as they came down the back-straight one last time, there was little doubt. Meares, who had been demolished by Pendleton in this final four years ago, celebrated even before she crossed the line.

These two magnificent sprinters had poured everything of themselves into race one. In a searing contest, Meares came hurtling around the final turn as if she was about to smash earlier predictions that Pendleton again held the whip hand over her. But Pendleton, riding hard and low, unleashed another venomous spurt to ensure that her front wheel finished a millimetre ahead of Meares's. The lustre of their shared brilliance and courage was tarnished only by the ruling against Pendleton. "I can't believe that twice in one competition I've been disqualified and relegated," Pendleton said later. "It's unheard of." The fierce rivalry between Pendleton and Meares, which has sometimes resembled enmity, has also been like nothing else in track cycling. It demanded one last showdown. Once it was all over, and in between the tears that fell from both women, there was relief in Pendleton. She has always found racing an ordeal and she tried hard to quit the sport in 2010 when, in conflict with her coaches at British Cycling , Pendleton had a sudden epiphany at the world championships in Copenhagen.

The ritual of riding around a wooden track in circles, "going nowhere fast", as Pendleton always likes to say when mocking the absurdity of her career, made her burst out laughing. "This is ridiculous," she said aloud, through her despairing chortle, as she resolved to give up cycling forever. A few days later she won another world sprint title and then shocked her coaches with her announcement. It took many weeks of delicate persuasion from Steve Peters, British Cycling's team psychiatrist, before she agreed to continue — just because the 2012 Olympic Games would be held in London. It has been a long and draining journey for Pendleton. She once rode purely to please her father, a driven amateur cyclist called Max Pendleton, a man who wished he could have the life on a bike that Pendleton eventually found herself. She then rode for her coaches – and for the GB Cycling programme. Yet, away from the waving flags and the roaring madness, her gold and silver medals at these Olympics had been forged in often painful isolation from those same coaches with whom she has often been in conflict.

Pendleton's two Olympic gold medals, in the keirin here and in the sprint in Beijing, were both supreme achievements – and so she could smile, even if it was a sad little smile, on the podium on Tuesday night. She also brought her own hands together for Meares and, in a graceful and touching moment, linked arms with her old enemy. The rivals ducked their heads and smiled together – after each had cried some more in between the finish of their race and the closing ceremony. And then Pendleton wrapped her arm around Meares's waist and said a few more words of congratulations to the new Olympic champion. And then, one last time, they parted. Pendleton admitted that: "I was a bit pissed off about the DQ. I didn't see it coming. C'est la vie." She also said, with another wry smile, that: "If you paid me a million billion pounds I still couldn't go through that again … I'm so ready to do something else." Victoria Pendleton wants gold in Olympics cycling farewell - BBC Sport BBC Sport Victoria Pendleton wants gold in Olympics cycling farewell By Chris Bevan BBC Sport at the London Velodrome 4 Aug 2012 Read more about sharing.

Victoria Pendleton says she wants to "smash" the individual sprint event at the Olympics and sign off with a gold medal in her final race. The cyclist won gold in the keirin a day after being disqualified in the team sprint, along with Jess Varnish, because of an illegal change-over. Team GB regain their mojo "For several years it looked as though Team GB's track cyclists had lost the air of invincibility they had in Beijing - but after two days of the London 2012 track programme it seems Britain's Olympic medal factory might be about to break all productivity records" The 31-year-old retires after Tuesday's final and said: "I wanted to win all three but these things happen. I will rest, come back and smash the sprint." Pendleton is the reigning champion. She won the individual sprint title in Beijing in 2008. and goes in the qualifiers from 16:00 BST on Sunday, hoping to sign off with victory in Tuesday's final at 18:20.

A third gold medal would make her Britain's most successful female Olympian of all time but Pendleton says she is just delighted to have drawn level with Kelly Holmes and Rebecca Adlington with two golds. "It means a lot to be in that sort of company," she said. "They are fantastic, inspirational sportswomen and I don't think it has sunk in yet that I can even begin to compare myself to that group of ladies. "Maybe in a couple of years when I have retired and can look back, I will say 'well done, Vic'." Pendleton's new power "Vicky has got something with her sprinting now that she has not had before, which is length. She went for the line from a long way back to win." The London Velodrome was already at fever pitch after witnessing Britain's victory in the men's team pursuit, but the arena erupted as Pendleton held off China's Guo Shuang to win the final by half a wheel. Pendleton got off her bike in front of the main stand to salute the crowd, before pedalling off to embrace her partner, British Cycling's sports scientist Scott Gardner.

An emotional Pendleton blinked away tears of joy as she explained how holding her newborn nephew had helped regain her focus for her ride to gold. "After I finished on the track on Thursday, I went outside and had a cuddle with Nathan, who is 10 weeks old. That put it all into perspective," she explained. "When he's a few years older, I will tell him how he made everything seem all right. "I have not had a 24 hours like this before and I wouldn't want it again. I am glad to be retiring. "I am definitely not having any second thoughts, not in a million years. It is not going to be a Sir Steve Redgrave situation where he said he was retiring and jumped back in a boat. There is no way I am coming back." Pendleton had union flags painted on her nails - appropriately courtesy of Varnish - and said she had gained inspiration from watching rowers Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins win gold hours before she topped the podium. "I said about a year ago that I thought this would be an Olympics for the British girls - and I think it will be," she added. "I watched Kath and Anna's race. For me, it was the most exciting event at the Olympics.

I was speaking to them just a couple of months ago and they were so positive. I really took a lot from their performance. "They were amazing and it could not have happened to a nicer pair of people really, so, yes, here come the girls!" Share this page Victoria Pendleton wins gold at the Olympics - Sport - East Anglian Daily Times Victoria Pendleton wins gold at the Olympics 19:54 03 August 2012 Victoria Pendleton Archant LIFETIME member of Mildhenhall Cycling Ckub Victoria Pendleton has won gold in the Keirin at the Olympics. Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. The 31-year-old added to the earlier success earned by the British men’s pursuit team, who claimed the top spot in a thrilling world record time, on the second day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Veldrome. Pendleton saw off Guo Shuang of China who was second and Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong third. “I can barely believe it right now,” Pendleton said.

“It was really hard with the excitement of the great job the girls did qualifying with a world record and then the guys smash the world record and win a gold medal - I was just, like, ‘Focus, Vic, focus. You’ve still got a race’. “But it was so hard. I can’t believe it. “Thank you so much to everyone who’s helped me get here. The crowd have been fantastic and it really helped me today.” Told she had produced the perfect tactical race, Pendleton said: “I think Jan 1/8van Eijden, coach 3/8 might have something to say about that. “But he said to me, ‘Don’t look for their race. Just make your own. When it’s your moment, just go’. “My legs were good from last night and I still wanted to really show what I’ve got and it worked out okay, I guess.” Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh and Steven Burke clocked three minutes 51.659 seconds to triumph by a supreme margin ahead of arch-rivals Australia.

Australia’s Jack Bobridge, Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis and Michael Hepburn finished with silver in 3mins 54.581secs. Clancy’s focus will now turn to the six-discipline omnium, which is set to begin tomorrow.

Question: In which cycling event did Victoria Pendleton win gold at the 2012 Olympics?
Answer: KEIRIN