On the heels of what was a slightly subdued performance at the Manchester round of the World Cup, where she took two bronze medals out of the three events she entered, multiple world and Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton has confirmed that she is in the final stages of her career.
She said that it is almost certain that the Olympics in London next season will be her swansong. “I think so,” she confirmed to the Telegraph. “I'd be very surprised if physically I was able to continue beyond that point.
“I've been racing from a hobby level to an elite level from when I was nine. It's been a long career and physically I know that I'm getting more and more injuries. It's a warning sign that there's not that much more to come.
As reported last week, she has said that she is finding it difficult to get fully motivated for the next Olympic Games. Pendleton has said on many occasions that she feels a lot of pressure, and racing on home soil is certain to bring even more stress. That said, Britain’s high performance manager Dave Brailsford has said that he believes she will click and regain her focus prior to London. If so, that could ensure she goes out on a high.
As things stand, she feels that her time in the sport is limited due to injuries. “It isn't that much fun being in the physio room as often as I am these days,” she explained.
“It's a little bit humbling in some ways because, when you are an elite athlete it makes you feel like a super-hero sometimes and then you realise that you are only human, and broken. I think most athletes have to stop because they physically can't do it. It's no fun being hammered by a physio day-in-day-out.”
Her next target will be to race well at the world championships next month. She will head to Apeldoorn as defending champion in the sprint and will want to take at least one rainbow jersey away from that event. If she can do that, it should give her morale a boost heading into the off-season, making it easier to remain focussed in the months ahead.