Victoria Pendleton

Fee Band


The Olympic and World Track Champion was once described by her French Canadian coach as being “too skinny and too puny to be a sprint cyclist.” Victoria has gone onto become one of the world’s best female cyclists, after seven world titles and golds in Beijing and in London. In Q&A she talks about the immense physical and psychological challenges faced by elite athletes, and the lessons from her new career as a jockey.


Biography

 

The Olympic and World Track Champion was once described by her French Canadian coach as being “too skinny and too puny to be a sprint cyclist.” Victoria Pendleton has gone onto become one of the world’s best female cyclists and one of Britain’s most successful Olympians, after seven world titles and two gold medals in Beijing and in London.

Victoria first set her sights on Athens, but failed to fulfil her ambitions despite a rigourous training regime. She refused to let the setback deter her. Instead she learned from her mistakes, returned even more determined, and went onto be crowned World Champion a year later. It was the foundation for a successful career that saw her become a key part of the all-conquering TeamGB cycling squad.

After taking gold and silver at London 2012, Victoria left the track behind. She competed in Strictly Come Dancing and appeared in ITV’s Emmerdale marking the start of Tour de France in Yorkshire. Perhaps most surprisingly, Victoria then announced that she was returning to sport, but this time on a horse rather than bicycle. Working her way through the novice ranks she rode at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival, defying the expectation of many and marking what she described as "probably the greatest achievement of my life".

In Q&A Victoria talks about the immense physical and psychological challenges faced by elite athletes, and the preparation and attitude needed to reach the top. She reflects on her career, the highs and lows, the successes and mistakes, and what it took to start all over again in a new sport.

 

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH