0:00:02 > 0:00:05'Victoria Pendleton is the Olympic champion!
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'The magnificent display of confidence, power and speed.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'The queen of the track delivers in China.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:15I felt almost numb, and I thought, "Wow,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17"I really thought this would feel different,"
0:00:17 > 0:00:19like I'd be overwhelmed with emotion
0:00:19 > 0:00:22and I wouldn't be able to hold it back.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24And I didn't feel anything.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It's hard to believe that I actually did it.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Victoria Pendleton is the world's greatest ever female track cyclist.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Olympic champion in Beijing 2008,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39and world champion in six of the past eight years.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43She has set the standards for a generation,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48and dominated a sport that demands power, speed and bravery.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53I compete in a sport on an individual basis,
0:00:53 > 0:00:54but I never have done it for me.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I was always cycling for my dad,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and then the coaches got bigger and my results got better
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and suddenly the responsibility grows and I'm doing it for somebody else,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'm doing it for a programme, I'm doing it for the country,
0:01:06 > 0:01:07I'm doing it for, like, everybody.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12My success has got so great, it's like I'm trapped almost within it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I'm going downhill way too fast and there is no brakes.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I can't stop.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22We followed her final season in the sport.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The only thing that really matters to me is going well in London.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31That's all that matters. It's all I'm trying to do.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34I want it to be the most amazing exit
0:01:34 > 0:01:36that I could possibly have from the sport,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and say, thank you very much, and now I'm done.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46For me, Vicky's probably been the greatest woman sprinter of all time.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52If people appreciated the hurdles she's overcome to achieve that,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55that greatness, they'd be amazed.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58I don't suppose anyone could tell the full story apart from Vicky.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11The most joy I've had from that Olympic gold medal
0:02:11 > 0:02:16I can honestly say is popping it over some young kid's neck,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18round their neck and they're just like....
0:02:18 > 0:02:20SHE GASPS
0:02:21 > 0:02:25It's like, "Remember this, Vic, this is what it's about."
0:02:25 > 0:02:30It's special when people get excited about something in that way.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33For Victoria Pendleton,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38the European Championships are the first of three major competitions
0:02:38 > 0:02:42she will race before she bows out at the London Olympics.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50She may have to battle her way through more than ten races
0:02:50 > 0:02:54to win a gold medal during a long day of competition.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01It would be a gruelling schedule for a rider in great form and full of confidence,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06but Victoria arrives in Holland devoid of both.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25When I'm at competition I spend a lot of time questioning myself,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28like, why do I put myself through this?
0:03:28 > 0:03:29It's one of my biggest flaws,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32is caring what other people think about me.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34I don't want to be a let-down.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Once celebrated as "the queen of the boards",
0:03:50 > 0:03:53this is the first year since 2006
0:03:53 > 0:03:56that Victoria has not been world champion.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The individual sprint is a brutal examination of will,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04self-belief and often domineering tactics
0:04:04 > 0:04:08designed to expose the weaker rider in a one-on-one battle.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's a classic game of cat and mouse
0:04:10 > 0:04:14that ends with a pulsating sprint to the finish line.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It is quite hard when you go to a Championships
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and you're not in that perfect form, like the form you know you could be in or should be in,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and people are still asking you,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26"What went wrong, why didn't you win?"
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I always assumed disappointment in other people
0:04:51 > 0:04:53rather than them actually displaying it,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I just assumed it because that's how I felt about myself,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59so therefore everyone else must feel the same about me.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Yeah, maybe I do kind of seek some kind of approval
0:05:09 > 0:05:11in the people around me.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It really matters what they think, I want them to be proud of me
0:05:15 > 0:05:17and I want them to be pleased with what I've done
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and that makes me feel good about myself.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I know you won't.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27The European Championships provides stark proof
0:05:27 > 0:05:29of how much work Victoria still has to do.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Unconvincing both in qualifying and the early rounds,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38she's knocked out in the quarter finals.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42For the Olympic champion, it's a devastatingly early exit.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45She has four months to prepare for her next competition,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49time that will be spent training and contemplating.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I have a lot of nightmares about being chased
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and almost caught all the time.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I can honestly say I know what that thing is that's chasing me,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and it's got a big 2012 sign all across it!
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Normally, over that last 25 metres,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23she tends to want it more than the others
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and that's what's made her so great in the past.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30That's not been there today. It's up to us to rekindle it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It's quite surreal to think I haven't grown up
0:06:45 > 0:06:47dreaming about doing this at all.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It just happened.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I never would have thought I was going to the Olympics.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I quite enjoy sport and now I'm Olympic Champion, so...
0:06:59 > 0:07:01that's a bit weird, isn't it?
0:07:07 > 0:07:08How old must we be there?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12There's the embarrassing yellow tricycle there
0:07:12 > 0:07:15that still haunts me to this day.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18My dad built like this carriage on the back of the tricycle
0:07:18 > 0:07:20so Alex and I could both get carried along.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23When you were sitting behind, everyone's pointing, going,
0:07:23 > 0:07:24"Look at those two,"
0:07:24 > 0:07:27you're facing them, you're like, "yeah," head down.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- Two little twins on the back. - Two little twins on the back.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I love these pictures with you on the train or something like that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Going somewhere like Great Ormond Street or something, aren't we?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40And Alex has got no hair.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44She was only four when Alex was diagnosed.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I don't think Victoria could've really realised how unwell he was.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53I mean, you can't talk about, er, potentially your twin brother dying.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56But for two three, years,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58the whole of the family's attention,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01you know, grandparents included, was really on Alex.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I think from there on, Victoria was vying for attention
0:08:04 > 0:08:05and I think that was a part of...
0:08:05 > 0:08:09made her so competitive in everything.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14My dad's always been a really keen cyclist,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17it's kind of his way of life.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I've been watching him race as long as I can remember,
0:08:20 > 0:08:26so it was like inevitable that when I was old enough to race a bike in some format, I would be.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's the one all-round sport.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Put two cyclists together and it's a race.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36You get the pleasure from beating people.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I think we're all competitors in this world,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43but I want to win...everything.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46If he wasn't able to train,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49he got quite upset, uptight, wasn't a happy man.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Wherever he went, the bikes went too,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and if the bikes didn't go, Dad didn't go.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- It was a big part.- Yeah. - Every holiday.- Yeah.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- All the weekends.- Yeah.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07If I said he was a pushy parent,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10it wouldn't be a million miles away from the truth.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17You know, we'd go up some really massive hill somewhere
0:09:17 > 0:09:19and he'd ride away from me and I'd think,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21"He's not even going to look back,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24"he's not even going to look back to see if I'm coming."
0:09:27 > 0:09:29That was his way of encouraging me to do it.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The car's over the next hill, you have to cycle over it,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36the sooner you cycle over it, the sooner you can get home.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41The wording is character building, isn't it?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47That's probably the way he was schooled, you know,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51it was all the stick all the way, it wasn't the carrot, it was the stick.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55And he'd enter me for races and I'd say,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58I'm going to go to somebody's birthday party and to the cinema,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01he'd be like, "Oh, suit yourself," and he wouldn't really speak to me.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04If I didn't do it, I felt like Alex was getting more attention
0:10:04 > 0:10:06from my father than I was,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08or somebody was, and I wanted it too, you know,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I wanted to have something in common with my dad,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and cycling's the only thing really that I have.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19She was following Alex down the back in a sprint
0:10:19 > 0:10:23when Alex was already going at probably as quick as he could go.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29She basically moved out from behind him and overtook him
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and moved in in probably about six lengths.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36She just shot past him, just shot past him.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Everyone always used to say how smooth your riding was,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42like we used to be able to see you
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and you'd be completely smooth, like effortless,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- and I think you still look that way. - Aw!
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Especially when you compare yourself to some of your competitors.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And that's when I realised there was something a bit different.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I thought he was just saying that because he's my dad,
0:10:56 > 0:10:57that's what dads do,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00they have to say you're brilliant, and you go, yeah, whatever!
0:11:03 > 0:11:05If he hadn't have pushed me at that age,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I wouldn't necessarily be here now, you know,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09I wouldn't have stood out from the crowd.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I am grateful that it has given me
0:11:13 > 0:11:17this fantastic opportunity to do something well.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Somebody's written on Twitter...
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Lee, Lee, 16... hope that's not his age.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Anyway, "Good God, why do I like @V Pendleton so much?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33"I don't even like cycling that much.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36"If she asked me, I'd say I loved it." Dot dot dot!
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Victoria's performances on the grass tracks
0:11:44 > 0:11:47brought her to the attention of British cycling,
0:11:47 > 0:11:53but she opted for university instead before turning professional in 2002.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56When I started training with the team full-time,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59the environment was not just a male environment,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03it was a very, very highly successful male environment!
0:12:04 > 0:12:08They had multiple Olympic, world, Commonwealth medallists,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10they're not just the standard for the country
0:12:10 > 0:12:12they're the standard for the whole entire world.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16I did struggle for people to take me seriously.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21I'm quite slight, and for a sprinter, that's quite unusual.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I can still vividly remember her walking past me
0:12:24 > 0:12:29in her England skin suit, and I just looked at her physique at the time
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and thought, "There's no way this girl's a sprinter."
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We did have women cyclists, but they were quite...
0:12:36 > 0:12:38um... for want of a better word,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43without getting shot by anyone that ever sees this,
0:12:43 > 0:12:48they weren't as feminine, let's just say, in their appearance, as Vicky.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I did used to wear mini-skirts sometimes with my GB top on the top,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55and sparkly sandals and things, and the boys would be like,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59"Oh my gosh, this girl cannot be serious."
0:12:59 > 0:13:01No, shoot from there up!
0:13:01 > 0:13:03There up!
0:13:03 > 0:13:06'Quite a lot of women in the sport tend to take on a very masculine,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09'aggressive look.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They want to be perceived as being something strong and powerful.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16I think I was quite comfortable, I never lost that sense
0:13:16 > 0:13:20of being female and wanting to retain my femininity.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24For me, I would never want to prove
0:13:24 > 0:13:28that I'm taking it seriously by making myself look different
0:13:28 > 0:13:29from the way I want to look.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31'I wouldn't be myself.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36'I'm going to win, I want to win, and I'm going to have nice long hair,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'I'm going to straighten it, curl it and it's going to look lovely!'
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- Hi!- How are you doing?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54British cycling success on the world stage has been rewarded
0:13:54 > 0:13:56with an influx of funding,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59sponsorship and expertise at all levels.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04In the preparation of the athletes, nothing is left to chance.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Do you not think that the fact that wheel thing is totally skwiff
0:14:11 > 0:14:14on the base a little bit annoying?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Doesn't make any difference, but we can straighten it for you.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- That better?- A little bit.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Victoria has now been training in Manchester
0:14:25 > 0:14:28six days a week for the last ten years.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32But it's hard to imagine that in 2003,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34a year after she turned professional,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37there wasn't someone who could guide
0:14:37 > 0:14:40a British female sprinter learning her craft.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Victoria was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52a chance to be coached by eight-times world champion Frederic Magne
0:14:52 > 0:14:56at a newly-established elite school of cycling.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- She was not, in French you would say...- SPEAKS FRENCH
0:15:01 > 0:15:06She really...step by step by step.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09After the first two weeks in Switzerland, I honestly thought
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I was going to drop dead.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I was so tired.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I just thought, how do people do this, I have no idea how to do this.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24I was just like, they've got me wrong, I really haven't got it.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I'm wasting their time, their money.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29I was having a bad time with Fred,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31that really knocked my confidence a bit,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35because he was getting a bit angry with me,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and I'm really someone who aims to please.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41She probably said I'm a hard person,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45because I want the best, I'm extremely demanding,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and my character is probably not an easy one, I'm not a flat person.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55It got to a stage where I was really depressed.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Dave Brailsford decided to send Steve Peters out,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00they were quite concerned.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03He was the guy who had the expertise,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06who could see reason from emotion.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13It was a very special day. I mean, I cried, a lot!
0:16:13 > 0:16:16She basically cried for two hours.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21I listened in between the tears, and we got some kind of communication.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I asked her a few questions that were quite leading.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26I feel like he had me and my character
0:16:26 > 0:16:29absolutely nailed within seconds.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I was just like, "My gosh, this man can read minds!"
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Vicky had no self-confidence,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39she had no way of controlling impulsive thinking,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41she had no way of containing emotion,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43she didn't know how to deal with emotion,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47she couldn't communicate well, she wasn't assertive.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48The list went on and on.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Steve kind of started the ball rolling in saying,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55"You can change the way you feel,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57"if you're willing to put the work in,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59"just like all the other training you do.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03"You can change, if you are committed to it." This was a revelation.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Against the wishes of her coach in Switzerland, Victoria returned
0:17:08 > 0:17:12to Manchester to train with the British team.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It was 2004, and she had just weeks to prepare for Athens,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20her first Olympics.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24I just wasn't ready for it.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30The Olympic Games, it's just massive, and I felt like I was still...
0:17:30 > 0:17:34in primary school stages of learning what it's about.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- COMMENTATOR: - She hasn't got the power.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43She was caught napping there, Pendleton.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And I was absolutely devastated,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53because I felt I had really let myself and everybody around me down.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Not to mention letting Frederic Magne down.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02As a coach, I was very low, and very down, like her.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07I didn't see him coming, he told me it was my fault that
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I had underperformed, because I should have stayed in Switzerland.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13And because I was disrespectful to him,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15it was my fault that everything was ruined.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20And I was so, so upset,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22I don't think I've ever cried so much in my entire life.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I just wanted to literally curl up in a corner and die.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Seeing Vicky go through what she was going through, for me,
0:18:32 > 0:18:38she was in the wrong place. And being a cyclist wasn't for her.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43I said, "If this is going to hurt you that much,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46"I don't know why you're doing it, let's just call it a day.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48"Just walk away from it."
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And I said I was going to quit and that was it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54I was going to call it a day,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59I didn't want to be mediocre at it, I wanted to be really good at it.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04This is obviously emotion talking, I have to respect what she's saying,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06but I want to make sure she's talking rationally.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10And that's why I asked her if I went with her to Beijing
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and supported her emotionally, and gave her these skills,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15could we go for Beijing?
0:19:15 > 0:19:17There was a little glimmer of light then,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19where she said to me, "I would".
0:19:19 > 0:19:24One of the things I will never know is how good I could have been.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28We had this conversation time and time again. Stick with it.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30At least you'll know,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33you won't be like me for ever more thinking, can I?
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Vicky was all about pleasing others. It was never about pleasing herself.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41That's where she got a little bit lost.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44She wanted to please her dad, please me.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I kept saying to her, you've got to do this for you,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49it's not about anybody else, it's about you,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and I think she struggled with that.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55But then again, if I hadn't gone to Athens and failed,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I don't think it would have given me
0:19:58 > 0:20:03the fuel to really take the step and make a change about myself
0:20:03 > 0:20:08and my life and my mental approach to be the best.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16The London Velodrome was the first Olympic facility
0:20:16 > 0:20:19to be officially opened.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22It was a significant moment, placing the cycling team
0:20:22 > 0:20:26at the heart of British hopes for gold medals.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28When I started, there wasn't any media attention at all
0:20:28 > 0:20:31in the team, anyway. Ever.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33I'm talked out.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Probably got really bad red eye. Have I got really red eyes?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39'Talking about the same stuff...
0:20:39 > 0:20:42' "How are you going to go at the Olympics?"
0:20:42 > 0:20:43' "Well, I'm going to do my best."
0:20:43 > 0:20:46' "Do you feel the pressure?"
0:20:46 > 0:20:49' "Yes." "Is that surprising?" '
0:20:49 > 0:20:52And you want to go out on a high, I guess?
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Yeah, hopefully on a high.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Being here's going to be on a high.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Doing well here would be a super-duper high.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02"A super-duper high." Quote of the day.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06In terms of dealing with all the external pressures,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I know that this is going to be the toughest challenge yet.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Not realising that a home Games is going to be bigger, harder,
0:21:14 > 0:21:15would be very naive.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36The London World Cup brings Victoria face-to-face with her archrival,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39the Australian Anna Meares.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44In the Beijing Olympics, Victoria crushed Meares to win gold.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48But in 2011, Meares exacted revenge,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51beating Victoria on her way to winning the World Championships
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and the coveted rainbow jersey.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58What can I say? Results-wise, over the years, absolutely fantastic.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01She's been iconic in her field.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Greatness could have been bestowed upon Anna,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06but Vicky was just too good.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12There's definitely no love lost there in that relationship.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17She races quite negatively in places and, you know, pushes riders about,
0:22:17 > 0:22:18and is quite physical,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and that's just not the way that I choose to do things.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Now, I'd see that as very tactically aware.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Well, she said something to me along the lines of,
0:22:32 > 0:22:33"I know we don't like each other very much,"
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and I was like, "Who said that?
0:22:35 > 0:22:37"I've never said that."
0:22:37 > 0:22:41And I was like, "Well, that's clear you don't like me very much!"
0:22:41 > 0:22:46This rivalry has intensified over the last few years,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and Meares is now world champion
0:22:48 > 0:22:51in both the team and the individual sprint,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56titles that Victoria held going into Beijing four years ago.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58But I do believe I'm a better athlete than she is.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17In qualifying, Victoria's 200-metre time trial
0:23:17 > 0:23:19is cheered by the partisan crowd.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- COMMENTATOR:- 'A new fastest time for Pendleton and we have a new leader.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:39But her time is superseded by the Australian.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'She's gone fastest so far the first time track.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46'What's the time from Meares going to be as she hits the line?'
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Both riders progress to the semi-finals,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51where they meet in a best-of-three ride.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54These three races will be the fastest series of three
0:23:54 > 0:23:57in the history of female sprint cycling.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01'Here comes another challenge from Pendleton, but she can't do it,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06'so race one goes to Anna Meares, the defending world champion.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09'And Pendleton will have to think about that.'
0:24:12 > 0:24:14You couldn't hear it, but I was,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I was down the back straight going...
0:24:16 > 0:24:18SHE GRUNTS
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I was just trying to get everything I could out
0:24:23 > 0:24:24because I knew she was coming.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29'Pendleton has taken race two.'
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'Well, it's going to go to a decider.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:34It was a tough draw, meeting Anna Meares in the semi-final.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36We both kicked the shit out of each other.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39You can see that she felt the same today.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46'The Australian is beginning to turn the throttle
0:24:46 > 0:24:48'and Pendleton won't get up to her.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50'And Meares wins through, 2-1.'
0:24:51 > 0:24:53She tried her best.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Her body wasn't physically able to do it, at the end of the day.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Victoria has not beaten Anna in the individual sprint for two years,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10but they will meet again in Melbourne in six weeks
0:25:10 > 0:25:12at the World Championships,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16one final battle before returning to the London Velodrome
0:25:16 > 0:25:18for the Olympics.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Today is about going out on your bike with the girls, having a fun time.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34KLAXON SOUNDS
0:25:34 > 0:25:38ALL: Three, two, one, go!
0:25:39 > 0:25:42In a bid to encourage more women to take up cycling
0:25:42 > 0:25:43as a leisure pursuit,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Victoria has lent her support to Cycletta.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Today, 800 women will ride the 25-mile course.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55ALL CHEER
0:25:55 > 0:25:57'I hope I've helped inspire a few of these ladies
0:25:57 > 0:25:58'to get on their bikes.'
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Sharing the love of cycling.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Victoria!- Hello!
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Lovely! Great stuff.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10'I think it was a day well spent, to be honest.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12'I might be a little tired tomorrow,'
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and I might have to adapt my training slightly
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'but I think it has been a really positive event.'
0:26:17 > 0:26:19That's so lovely. Come here.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Oh, thanks. Thank you so much.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26'It is nice that people do say,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29"Oh, wow, we think you're amazing," or, "You're such an inspiration."
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It's really touching, and quite unbelievable, actually.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37And I find it, I think, more of a compliment from women.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42'In the early days, there weren't many full-time women on the team.'
0:26:42 > 0:26:44For a long time, it was just me and the boys.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48You know, I was in awe of them.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52So everyone always asks me,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55"When do you think you realised you had potential?"
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And I say, "When I became world champion in 2005,"
0:26:58 > 0:27:00because that's how I honestly feel about it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Before that day, I didn't think it was possible.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06'Victoria Pendleton is really flying here.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'The world title is waiting for her.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:13'Victoria Pendleton is the world sprint champion.'
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'I finally felt like I belonged in that team.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:27It was like a minimum entry requirement to the gang.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37"Thank you, Dad, this one is for you. Lots of love, Victoria."
0:27:37 > 0:27:38At the bottom, it says,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42"Note, this is the original 2005 women's sprint."
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I'd love to have worn one.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Cos the only time you get to wear one
0:27:48 > 0:27:49is if you're entitled to wear one.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56That win in 2005 was the start of Victoria's total dominance
0:27:56 > 0:27:58of female track sprinting.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02During the three years leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Victoria would reign supreme.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10'Whoa. Pendleton is the world champion.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14'And she made it look so easy.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19'And there's her dad, Max Pendleton.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'Happy moments in the Pendleton family.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:29I was hitting new PBs and I knew, going into the competition, that,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31"I have never been faster than this."
0:28:31 > 0:28:34'Once more, she is the world champion.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:36It was an incredible place to be.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37And you hear athletes
0:28:37 > 0:28:40talking about that one moment where they hit that amazing form.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42'Victoria Pendleton,
0:28:42 > 0:28:47'the queen of the track here. "I am in charge of the sprinters." '
0:28:48 > 0:28:50There was like a triangle of coaching.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53The three of them worked together to basically produce and manage
0:28:53 > 0:28:56all the training programmes for the elite sprinters.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The three coaches were Iain Dyer,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03the organiser of the training programmes,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Jan van Eiden, a master tactician,
0:29:07 > 0:29:08and Scott Gardner,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12widely considered to be track cycling's number one sports scientist.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17Between those three, that was kind of a really stable
0:29:17 > 0:29:20and very effective coaching environment.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23They brought something to the programme that I don't think,
0:29:23 > 0:29:25if they were ever to leave, would be replaced.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28From the riders through the staff,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30everyone kind of just knew their role
0:29:30 > 0:29:34and when everyone walked into battle, it was a real united team.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38That triangle of coaches, working under head coach Shane Sutton
0:29:38 > 0:29:41and performance director Dave Brailsford,
0:29:41 > 0:29:46combined to squeeze the maximum effort out of all the riders.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Victoria would totally dominate female sprinting,
0:29:48 > 0:29:54winning five out of six world titles in the two years before Beijing.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Going into Beijing, she felt so confident.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59She was basically untouchable.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02One thing with Vicky is the more you do,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04the more confident she feels
0:30:04 > 0:30:06so we spent a lot of time on the boards,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08in front of the laptop.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11It was so close. There was nothing that could get in-between us.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16But unknown to any of her coaches, in the months leading up to Beijing,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Victoria had fallen in love.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24A personal journey of discovery that was to have devastating consequences
0:30:24 > 0:30:26for the unity of the team.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- So tonight... - Tonight on the menu is...
0:30:32 > 0:30:34easy chicken night.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38How long have we been eating easy chicken for? Years now.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42'Scott's my wonderful Australian fiance.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46'Scott and I were both like, "Yeah, I quite like you." "I like you too."
0:30:46 > 0:30:49' "Do you think we have a chance at a relationship?"
0:30:49 > 0:30:52' "I don't know. We have to give it a go to find out." '
0:30:52 > 0:30:55We knew if we embarked on this then that would be the end.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57One of us would have to leave the job.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58You will want the recipe.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04- It takes about five minutes to cook. - And about two minutes to eat!
0:31:04 > 0:31:05SHE LAUGHS
0:31:05 > 0:31:08"Today is the greatest day I've ever known."
0:31:08 > 0:31:11A line from the Smashing Pumpkins song, Today.
0:31:12 > 0:31:18When I listen to it, it reminds me of those early days of getting to know somebody.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21It kind of evokes a lot of emotion in me, I think.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23And I think it always will.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25I think it will always be close to my heart, so...
0:31:25 > 0:31:27I could have had his name,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30but I chose to put that, which is practically the same!
0:31:30 > 0:31:31I'll put that on...
0:31:31 > 0:31:34I first found out, way before Beijing.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38It was something I noticed in the track centre.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Scott had bent down, Vicky was changing the gears,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46and there was just something that, you know, I noticed.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50And at the time, and I thought, "Hmmm, that's strange."
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Well, he came in the room to see me and I said,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56"I think you've got something to tell me".
0:31:56 > 0:31:57Wow.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00In sport, there are rules,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and there are rules on how you work with the team.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05I knew there were consequences.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10The bottom line is, you know, Scott broke protocol.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12You don't get involved with the athletes.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17Had the real Shane Sutton stepped up to the mark at that point,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I would have said for Scott to probably walk then.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24But the problem is, he was adding so much value.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26It was hard. It was hard.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30It was one of those things, you can't deny love, I suppose!
0:32:30 > 0:32:33And we fell in love, at work.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37It was then, how do we manage that? It was a rock and a hard place.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40You know, I can't really tell the other two coaches,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42so I wanted to keep it all hush-hush.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Stay away from each other now until the Games are over
0:32:48 > 0:32:49and then we can drive it forward.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51But that was never going to happen.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53They were in love. You know what it's like.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56I was holding the cards there and I played the wrong cards.
0:33:02 > 0:33:08COMMENTATOR: Great Britain are the Olympic Team Sprint champions!
0:33:11 > 0:33:12I'd watched my fellow competitors
0:33:12 > 0:33:15go up there and win gold medals before I got to the track.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21It was just, gold, gold, gold. More gold!
0:33:21 > 0:33:24On most days, I'm brought to tears, because I'm so happy, you know.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28They've won and you see their faces and people getting emotional on the podium.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I can get emotional just thinking about it!
0:33:40 > 0:33:42The team doing so well just pushed me further.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45It was like, "I have to do this. I have to do it."
0:33:48 > 0:33:53I felt unstoppable, "This is the best opportunity I've ever had."
0:33:58 > 0:34:01"I've got one chance to get this right."
0:34:01 > 0:34:06And I felt a huge, huge pressure to be part of the team.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12She was a class apart. Nobody was going to get close to her.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14She was majestic, she was fantastic.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17She was unbeatable. I mean, she blew everybody away. Literally did.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19It was very, very impressive to see.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23No-one was even able to touch her there.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26It was quite breathtaking, yeah. I have to say it.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36She showed everyone exactly this is how fast I can go.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- COMMENTARY:- Meares will not come back from this.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42The magnificent display of confidence, power and speed.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44The gold medal is yours.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Victoria Pendleton is the Olympic champion!
0:34:52 > 0:34:55The moment I crossed the line, it was relief. Pure relief.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04I've spoken about it on so many occasions
0:35:04 > 0:35:08and it's easier to explain it as elation to people -
0:35:08 > 0:35:11"Oh, you know, I was absolutely overwhelmed,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13"it was the most amazing feeling on earth,"
0:35:13 > 0:35:17but quite honestly I can say I didn't feel anything.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19I felt almost numb.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24And I thought, "Wow, I really thought this would feel different,"
0:35:24 > 0:35:27like I'd suddenly be overwhelmed with emotion
0:35:27 > 0:35:29and I wouldn't be able to hold it back.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33But it felt like I wasn't even there.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36It's hard to believe that I actually did it.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39And the whole of the British team are stood to attention
0:35:39 > 0:35:43in the middle of the arena here, showing their appreciation.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47There were so many people that, you know,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50had done so much good work for Vic over those years.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Everyone was just really emotional.
0:36:02 > 0:36:08Later on that day, Shane told Jan about Vicky and myself
0:36:08 > 0:36:13and that then turned into what I'd say at the time
0:36:13 > 0:36:16wasn't a very pleasant situation to be in for any of us.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23I was living a lie for whatever it was, I can't remember, six months.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Then I decided, you know, Scott was going
0:36:26 > 0:36:28and I just pushed on with it.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33The carnage left behind and the damage was massive.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40You know, like, winning the gold medal
0:36:40 > 0:36:43should've been like the happiest day of my entire life, you know,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45like it worked and I won.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Ah, and it just wasn't, and then it was just completely...
0:36:56 > 0:36:59It felt like the saddest day of my entire life.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Everyone was so angry with us
0:37:06 > 0:37:09that, you know, Scott and I had fallen in love
0:37:09 > 0:37:11because it was so unprofessional
0:37:11 > 0:37:16and we were a disgrace and betrayed everybody.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Jan and Iain in particular felt quite betrayed by me.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27And I never wanted to do that to anyone.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29I never wanted anyone to feel that way.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Well, it stuck with me for quite a while.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34You know, me and Scott, we lived together.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36I thought we had a good friendship
0:37:36 > 0:37:38and it's great for them that they did fall in love
0:37:38 > 0:37:40and those things happen in life,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42but Vicky's sometimes not the easiest,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46and I've been sitting with Scott in the evening and talking about her
0:37:46 > 0:37:48and he's basically seeing her.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I felt very disappointed that he never told me that.
0:37:52 > 0:37:58Yeah, I think Scott having to leave the team
0:37:58 > 0:38:02and everything he's, kind of, worked for with us,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06for me was a really huge deal and I think I'll be, like, forever...
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Oh, gosh. In his debt.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Sorry.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17He's given up everything to be with me
0:38:17 > 0:38:20and, you know, that means a lot.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23That's why I need to do him proud at the London Olympics as well,
0:38:23 > 0:38:28prove that it wasn't, you know, in vain or for no reason,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30just that it was all worth it.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42I'm kind of, not disregarded, but I'm... I dunno.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46I'm not the favourite anyway, shall we say?
0:38:48 > 0:38:51- ANNOUNCER:- The gold medal is yours.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Victoria Pendleton is the Olympic champion.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Since Beijing, I'd say she's probably gone through a lot emotionally
0:38:57 > 0:39:00that she would've welcomed to have left behind.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05After Beijing, and with Scott no longer at the Velodrome,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Victoria cut an isolated figure,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11her reputation as a defiant, but emotional maverick
0:39:11 > 0:39:14laying her open to criticism within British cycling.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20We, sort of, stopped working as close as we have done towards Beijing.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23She went her own way, she, sort of,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26started working on her own closely with Scott.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29I was more, sort of, a facilitator.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The world title's on the line for Victoria Pendleton.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36She has to get it right in this ride,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39otherwise she will no longer be the world sprint champion.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43And I think she just wanted to prove to everyone that this is working.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Victoria, you have earned that.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Four times the world sprint champion.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01I just couldn't possibly imagine not having a world championship jersey.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05And I just really didn't want to lose. I'm sorry.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08She put on a very brave fight for a long time
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and I think part of what you saw in that emotion
0:40:11 > 0:40:17was her battle to keep going, to face up every day.
0:40:19 > 0:40:26In 2010, Victoria won her fifth individual world title in six years,
0:40:26 > 0:40:30but her constant battles were an emotional drain.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34'And now she goes over to her boyfriend there.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38'That's Scott, her fiance, who, of course,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41'used to be on the development plan for cycling
0:40:41 > 0:40:45'and then he went to the development plan from swimming.'
0:40:45 > 0:40:48It's been a difficult time, it's been a really difficult time
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and I can't say I'm going to look back
0:40:51 > 0:40:53over the last three years fondly.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Because it hasn't been very lovely at times.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Come on.- Come on.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01We didn't deal with it the best way
0:41:01 > 0:41:03we could have dealt with it, I don't think.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Some of the coaching staff didn't deal with it very well.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10A lot of in-fighting and hassle 24/7.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Unbearable working conditions.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15There's been a lot of bloody tears.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20I did feel at times that I was out on my own, like...
0:41:20 > 0:41:23You know, I'd write my programme and then feel it was criticised
0:41:23 > 0:41:27and then feel unconfident about it, and rather than going into work
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and having a confidence boost from the people around you,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31it was like a knock.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36You just try and get on with it, and I come home and get upset with Scott.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41I feel a clear responsibility to help her as much as I can,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44and fortunately or unfortunately
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I have the skills in this area
0:41:47 > 0:41:49at the moment to help her as much as I can.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54This is a girl who likes a team and she wants that team to love her.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59They've got these phenomenally gifted people in all aspects
0:41:59 > 0:42:01with this phenomenally gifted rider,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and there's nobody nasty or malicious in that team
0:42:04 > 0:42:08and yet there's just a bit of conflict that's unresolved.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10If that team comes together
0:42:10 > 0:42:15and Vicky can also get strength from herself, you won't stop her.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18You won't stop her. She'll go to London and she'll win again.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Good boy, come on.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27In 2011, Victoria lost her World Championship title.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34Beaten by Anna Meares, the veneer of invincibility was no longer.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It was clear that Victoria's dominance was over,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41and that her set-up - training at a distance from the coaches
0:42:41 > 0:42:44whilst Scott managed her programme from home -
0:42:44 > 0:42:46would not produce victory at the Olympics.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50As a consequence of my results at the Worlds,
0:42:50 > 0:42:55it has kick-started a lot of cogs in motion to try and fix me,
0:42:55 > 0:42:56fix what went wrong.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00So, obviously, it has caused a bit of a stir
0:43:00 > 0:43:02within the...within the GB camp.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21The unthinkable began to be mooted within British cycling,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25and in the summer of 2011, three years after he had to leave,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28the call came for Scott to return to the fold,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31a fully integrated part of Victoria's team.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35I didn't feel that we... Scott should come back in,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39but, at the end of the day, there's no-one else in this programme
0:43:39 > 0:43:42that could win like Vicky could win, so, therefore, you know,
0:43:42 > 0:43:47maybe we've had to accept defeat within victory, as it were.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50But the choices have been made and we've got to go out
0:43:50 > 0:43:52and support her and win that gold medal.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56The information, the knowledge, the experience -
0:43:56 > 0:43:59everything's within this team.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01It just needs to click back in to the place
0:44:01 > 0:44:03where it was prior to the last Olympics,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and it'll be amazing.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11I'm really excited about him being back within the group.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14I definitely feel a huge sense of reassurance with him being there
0:44:14 > 0:44:16and being so closely involved, you know,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20and that's what I need this year, more than anything.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Victoria's last competition before the Olympics
0:44:29 > 0:44:32is looming on the horizon -
0:44:32 > 0:44:36one final battle before the ultimate challenge.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48It's very much felt like the last time I'll be doing so many things.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54The idea of having Christmas next year
0:44:54 > 0:44:58and being entirely guilt-free of training
0:44:58 > 0:45:00is something quite unique!
0:45:01 > 0:45:03Good stuff, Vic. One minute left.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07I have an awful fear that when I start to do something else
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I'll just be like, "Wow, I just don't feel right,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12"I'm going to have to go back."
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Don't look at me!
0:45:23 > 0:45:26I feel like, finally, I'm in a place where I really think
0:45:26 > 0:45:29we've got a good support system behind me,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31and hopefully it's going to work out!
0:45:32 > 0:45:34It's ages away, got ages.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36LAUGHTER
0:45:39 > 0:45:42'Jan and I are talking probably better than ever at the moment
0:45:42 > 0:45:45'about where Vicky's going and what's happening.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50'At the moment, Vicky's training better per average'
0:45:50 > 0:45:52than she's ever trained before.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59I had no idea how hard it was going to be to keep up with you.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01- Same as me. - I was like, uhhh...
0:46:03 > 0:46:08Being disappointed with herself is a pretty day to day thing with Vic.
0:46:08 > 0:46:09He let me win.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13He wasn't playing with her, so...
0:46:14 > 0:46:15'You know the good days,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17'when she's saying it's rubbish but she's smiling.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20'You know she feels like she's getting there.'
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- I'd take it. Would you take it? - I haven't got much choice, have I?
0:46:23 > 0:46:26'Always rubbish, yeah. It's always rubbish.'
0:46:26 > 0:46:28It's all I had.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31I still think Jan backed off a little bit.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34He wanted to leave me with a good feeling.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49The World Championships -
0:46:49 > 0:46:54Victoria's final competition before the Olympic Games in London.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57At stake - the famous rainbow jersey,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00and the title of world sprint champion.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Vicky is definitely motivated by the fact that
0:47:06 > 0:47:08this is her last shot at it.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11She's seen them all, she's raced against them all.
0:47:13 > 0:47:14She needs to realise that
0:47:14 > 0:47:17there are no aliens coming to ride on the track.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23She will make sure that every time she goes to the line
0:47:23 > 0:47:26she's totally focused and she's totally in the zone,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28and there's no-one better at that in the world
0:47:28 > 0:47:30if she's convinced herself of that.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Australia are the leading nation in the world, at this current stage.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41They've won't want to let the Brits ahead of them.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46The magnitude of Victoria's challenge became clear
0:47:46 > 0:47:49when Anna Meares broke the world record in qualifying.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52In the early rounds, Meares was dominant,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55Pendleton unconvincing.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03They're all as vulnerable as each other as characters
0:48:03 > 0:48:05if they're out of their comfort zone.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10But Victoria battled through to the semi-final,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13where she would face Anna Meares.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17- ANNOUNCER:- What a night it will be. Strap yourselves in.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20First event, the much talked-about women's sprint semi-finals.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23World record holder yesterday, Anna Meares -
0:48:23 > 0:48:24she's on the form of her life.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- COMMENTATOR:- Pendleton looks as though she's going to lead
0:48:27 > 0:48:30this one out from the front. Yep, fully committed.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Now Pendleton needs to get that high leg speed
0:48:33 > 0:48:36to ward off the challenge of Meares.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Meares starting to come on to the shoulder now,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42but Pendleton's working really hard, trying to hold off Meares...
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Oh! Down the finishing straight there's a crash there!
0:48:45 > 0:48:47Meares wins race one.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52So committed to get to the line first,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55and they were absolutely on top speed.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57- Oh, it's actually Pendleton.- Yeah.
0:48:57 > 0:49:02Just came out of the sprint line and it wasn't Anna Meares' fault.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05And how shook up is Victoria Pendleton?
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- SCOTT:- If they stopped everything now
0:49:10 > 0:49:14and called the Olympics today, I'd put my money on Vic.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16I just know what sort of competitor she is
0:49:16 > 0:49:18when she really wants something.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30- COMMENTATOR:- Can Victoria Pendleton - Queen Victoria -
0:49:30 > 0:49:33can she win race two and force this to a decider?
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Well, she's putting the bruises and soreness behind her,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40and she must be sore after that fall.
0:49:40 > 0:49:41Here we go, then.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Meares is starting to lead this one out,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46here comes a challenge from Pendleton.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Can Pendleton get round Meares, as they come into the finishing straight?
0:49:49 > 0:49:50No, she's sat up.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Meares clenches her fist, 2-0, and going into the final.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59Interesting there, to see how the judges view that.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03When the sprint is launched, you have to stay inside the line.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Well, we can see here that the sprint is well underway,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09and Anna Meares drifts quite well outside there...
0:50:09 > 0:50:12- Oh, yes, nearly a collision. - ..and puts her opponent off tracks.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17There's a change, and Meares has been relegated
0:50:17 > 0:50:20and Pendleton has been awarded the victory in race two.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23So, we are going to get a decider.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30The atmosphere here, electric.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33It's slow now.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36Ooh! Meares has gone for the inside position,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38and you said you would've liked to have seen Pendleton
0:50:38 > 0:50:40riding this one from the front.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43It's the bell, one lap to go, the winner will go into the final.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Oh! They almost clashed again there!
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Now then, Meares still watching where Pendleton is.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Here we are, half a lap to go, Meares has now committed herself,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54here comes the reaction from Pendleton,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56five times a world champion from Great Britain.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58I reckon Pendleton's going to do it! Oh!
0:50:58 > 0:51:02I think Meares may have got it, it's going to be a photo finish.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04It's showing Victoria Pendleton on the screen,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07But it was very, very close, indeed.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10So, she's beaten Meares 2-1, and look at Jan van Eiden's face!
0:51:12 > 0:51:13Well done, Vicky! >
0:51:13 > 0:51:15That was super.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21Woo! Well done, Vic!
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Well, psychologically, Chris,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32that is going to be a fantastic bonus for Pendleton.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36This reminded me of when they first used to ride against each other,
0:51:36 > 0:51:37and she used to try and rough her up,
0:51:37 > 0:51:40and I think that was exactly the wrong thing to do here.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43You can see Victoria Pendleton's face,
0:51:43 > 0:51:45and she was not going to let that one go.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Out of the saddle and asking for more speed.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Shoulder to shoulder there, into the finishing straight.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08I think Pendleton got the better of that encounter.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10She's fired up for it. Pendleton takes race one.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14We're down the back straight, and Krupicite has committed herself.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17And Pendleton is coming up onto the shoulder.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20This is Victoria Pendleton in imperious form,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Showing that she's going to win the crown of her life.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Oh! I don't think she's done it!
0:52:24 > 0:52:27It looks like Krupicite took race two.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Well, amazing news just coming through here.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53Krupicite has actually been relegated.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57- She didn't hold her line... - Hence the relegation.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59And it means that Victoria Pendleton is now
0:52:59 > 0:53:02the world sprint champion for the sixth time.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09APPLAUSE
0:54:48 > 0:54:51And I just lost my balance and veered into her a bit.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53My dad always said you don't do track cycling
0:54:53 > 0:54:57unless you're prepared to crash because it happens now and again.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Mentally and emotionally I wavered a bit tonight.
0:55:00 > 0:55:01I paid for it, unfortunately.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05- It was a great ride, the last ride, to win it.- Thank you very much.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49'The only thing that really matters to me
0:55:49 > 0:55:51'is going well in London, that's it.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54'That's all that matters. That's all I'm trying to do.'
0:56:02 > 0:56:04In position.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06All right, shoulder back.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09- Here we go.- Thanks.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11- I'm ready, Scott. - Ready, coming.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14The public can be reassured,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16there's no way she won't give her best.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19This girl is a fighter, she'll never give up.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21- What was wrong with that one, otherwise?- Very little.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24I don't know, you just looked really displeased, your face.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26I thought it was really good.
0:56:26 > 0:56:27- OK.- Yeah, good.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29'Very, very proud of what she's achieved.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32'She'll always be an Olympic champion.'
0:56:32 > 0:56:34She's done this team, her nation and this sport,
0:56:34 > 0:56:37you know, absolutely proud.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39That's better.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42I don't think I've learned anything, really, in ten years.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Still crying. Still crying!
0:56:44 > 0:56:47- Still winning. - Still winning, that's good.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51I'm going to give up crying after the Olympics, I've decided.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54I'm going to give it up forever.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57And then it's finished, yeah.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02It's going to be very strange, not having the training programmes
0:57:02 > 0:57:05and the rules and regulations.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08I'll probably have to make up some of my own to live by.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11I probably will.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18'Housework by... Pack lunches made at...
0:57:18 > 0:57:20'Yeah, it probably will end up a bit like that.'
0:57:22 > 0:57:24I think beyond the Olympics, a lot.
0:57:24 > 0:57:29'And it's important to, I think, because the day after the Olympics,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31'the world ain't going to stop.'
0:57:31 > 0:57:33And I hope that we can say together,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35"Shit, yeah, we did that."
0:57:35 > 0:57:38Win, lose or draw, we had a go at that and we gave that our best shot.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41If we can do that, then, God, I'm going to be so happy.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44'The jump speed was 49.2.'
0:57:44 > 0:57:45Bang on.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50The idea of running away with Scott and living happily ever after -
0:57:50 > 0:57:52that makes me happy.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59I still like the idea of happy endings like that.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02I want it to be the most amazing exit
0:58:02 > 0:58:05that I could possibly have from the sport,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07and say, "Thank you very much, and now I'm done."
0:58:36 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd