Victoria Pendleton may have won Olympic gold and silver medals, and received a CBE from the Queen, but now she’s earned the most prestigious title of them all, that of an adventure bike rider.
OK, so we may be slightly biased here, but we loved watching this video of the former Olympic cyclist swap her bicycle for a motorbike and venture off-road at the Triumph Adventure Experience.
Having only passed her test in March this year, Victoria has already racked up the miles on a Triumph Street Scrambler on the road, but with a bike capable of tackling the trails, I guess it was only a matter of time before she ventured onto the dirt.
Learning the basics
The video shows her learning the basics of off-road riding. Displaying the confidence we’d expect from one of Britain’s great Olympians, she quickly gets to grips with finding the bike’s centre of balance and standing up during low-speed manoeuvres while navigating a narrow log course.
With that mastered, she’s soon locking up her rear wheel and skidding across the mud, before taking the bike on a rutted, waterlogged track to finish up the day. Reflecting back on the day Victoria, said: “Matt (instructor) helped me gain my confidence throughout the day. I’ve learnt a lot of new skills for off-road riding and the skills you learn here are so helpful and very transferable.”
If Victoria’s smile under her helmet was anything to go by, she’s well and truly got the adventure biking bug. So, without further ado, here’s the Olympic hero in action at the Triumph Adventure Experience.