Hovis Girl Victoria Goes for more Gold!

The nation has been treated to the sight of Victoria Pendleton as the new Hovis girl over the past few weeks, pushing her bike up the cobbled hill of Shaftesbury delivering bread and a message to eat a healthy loaf of Wholemeal. The recognition, and the money she has no doubt earned from this venture, is well overdue and deserved for the undoubted Queen of British and indeed global track cycling who has achieved everything that is humanly possible in the past three years, including an Olympic gold medal in the women's individual sprint at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 (the only event she was allowed to enter by the IOC's male-heavy schedule), the successful defence of her world sprint title seven months later despite still recovering from the enormous impact and effect of becoming Olympic champion, a fourth successive world individual title last month in Copenhagen which made it eight world gold medals in total, a record surpassing the great, late Beryl Burton, and a host of other wins and medals in the team sprint and keirin. Now she has the chance to go for the treble denied to her in Beijing, but one afforded to Sir Chris Hoy, who took the chance with aplomb. For all her undoubted talent and determination it is a big ask to expect Vicky to claim gold in the individual sprint, the team sprint and keirin in London, but whatever she ends up with (and it will be a haul of medals) the nation should celebrate a girl who may bring glamour and femininity to the sport off the track, but sheer power, determination and a will to win bordering on ruthlessness on it.