Dreaming of becoming a Vet as a child, Victoria’s journey into track cycling was somewhat organic. Her childhood love of sport combined with her father’s enthusiasm for family cycling trips, leading her to become one of the best female track cyclists Great Britain has ever seen. We discuss with her how she became a champion, what it was like to train at Olympic level and how she felt about retirement from the sport.

Since retiring from competitive cycling Victoria has been keen to embrace all kinds of unexpected challenges which have pushed her outside her comfort zone, from training with equine performance coach, Yogi Breisner, and becoming a competitive jockey to attempting to climb Everest. She has jumped out of planes and has literally thrown herself into everything with positivity and determination.

However, positivity has not always come easily to Victoria. She chats to us about her constant self-doubt, how she managed to pull herself through a dark period in her life and how developing a love for surfing helped her cope with depression. We find out about her involvement with charity, The Wave Project, helping young people with emotional and physical wellbeing through surfing and why she believes challenging yourself can be good for mental health.

One thing you can’t fail to be impressed by is Victoria’s courage as she always approaches new challenges with the determination to succeed, she certainly is an inspiring example of what champions are made of.

©photo credit: Matt Hardy/Thrudark