Victoria Pendleton: Why I have never been happier

Victoria Pendleton’s never been one to live life in the slow lane. These days happiest on horseback thundering down a race course, she vows nothing – not even having children – will stand in her way as she pursues her latest passion.

Eighteen months ago, the former Olympic cycling champion – who won gold and silver in the velodrome in 2012 in London – accepted an extraordinary challenge to ‘switch saddles’, train as a jockey in a year and compete in one of Britain’s most dangerous races.

“It’s seems so strange looking back, but I totally fell in love with horses and racing right from the start of training. Although I’d never ridden before, it was like it was meant to be, and that cycling was a stepping stone which led me to what I was meant to do next,” says the 36-year-old, reflecting on her remarkable feat six months ago, achieving fifth place in the fiercely competitive Foxhunter Chase, the amateur riders’ Gold Cup, at the Cheltenham Festival, the annual highlight of racing’s calendar.

Competing on the course, negotiating 22 fences over three-and-a-quarter miles, was the ultimate goal set by her sponsors, online betting company, Betfair. In the run-up to the event, she endured scepticism from a chorus of doubters, including former National Hunt champion jockey, John Francome who warned, prior to the race, she was “an accident waiting to happen”.

“Lots of people feared, because of my lack of experience, I could kill or injure myself or endanger others. I understood because National Hunt racing is very dangerous, but I was determined to prove everyone wrong, that’s just part of my character. I perform best when the going’s tough – I was often told as a cyclist I didn’t have the physical or mental ability to be a champion – and that just made me more stubborn and determined to succeed,” admits the nine times cycling world champion, who was tutored by a crack team, including coach Yogi Breisner, manager of the British Olympic 3-day Eventing team and legendary jockey, AP McCoy.

“Pushing myself physically and mentally, and aiming for perfection against the odds, is what makes me tick. Crucially, my expert training team totally believed in my ability, otherwise I’d have pulled out of the event immediately. I’d never have put my horse or other horses and riders in danger.”

Embracing her new life with a four-legged mount rather than two-wheels appears to have transformed Pendleton, who is a more relaxed, confident person than she was as an athlete. In her autobiography, published after she retired following the London Olympics, she revealed she self-harmed while battling the pressures of competing, and even turned to cutting herself on the night she won her first gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

“Doing this has massively changed my life, I can honestly say I’ve never been happier and don’t ever want my equestrian adventure to end,” declares Pendleton.