Between The Lines: My Autobiography

I'm not a diehard fan of track cycling, I only follow it during the Worlds or Olympics, but it has been hard to avoid noticing the GB fixed star Victoria Pendleton. I'm probably sounding sexist when I appreciate that a female gold medal athlete can look like a normal, or actually very pretty, woman. First and foremost Pendleton is of course a world class cyclist.The autobiography gives an interesting and, for me who does not follow the British gossip magazines, quite surprising portrait of her childhood leading up to her career as a professional cyclist. The book is well written, has a nice flow to it and moves along chronologically at a steady pace. I find it has a good balance between her personal and professional life.A very complex character is revealed, which makes the book interesting. It's also a great story, from someone on the inside but still an outsider in a sport dominated by men, of how British cycling came to be the super power it is in the sport today.It does get a little tiresome with the ever ongoing vendetta between Pendleton and arch rivals Meares sisters, but that was a huge part of her competitive life so it would be hard to get around it I suppose.I feel as if I know Ms. Pendleton pretty well after reading her autobiography, and I sort of wish that I'd followed her career more closely. I found myself watching some of her achievements on YouTube while reading, which added to the ambience. I'd recommend this book pretty much to anyone who likes autobiographies, but obviously it helps if you're into cycling.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Victoria Pendleton writes vary candidly about her struggles as a sprint cyclist which she had a lot of. But she dose not come off as winey but strong and persevering. She talks about her child hood and her father whom started her in cycling all the way up to London 2012 Olympics. With so little written information on track sprinting training I was vary interested to see what her training and schedule was like. She writes a bit about it but not in-depth of coarse and only mentions the gym work. I liked that she documented her races and strategies and sometimes what gears she used. I have read Muenzer's and Mearse auto biographies and I found it interesting when there stories crossed paths: quite a lot with Mearse of coarse. I ended up rooting for Vicky evan though I am a big Mearse fan.

Interesting to see what the emotionally expense of being an Olympic Athlete can be. Gives a glimpse into the human side of competition. Makes you realize that behind theses talented gifted athletes there is a human being that experiences all the emotions the rest of use do.I have become a fan of Olympic Cycling as a result of the Olympics and I am still am. However, I found it quite interesting in the book when Victoria is at a track and realizes her life revolves chasing other track cyclist around and how in a way meaningless it is. Victoria at times seems to be a reluctant track cyclist despite her talent and many victories.

This was an interesting story. I found it somewhat over the top emotionally at times and hard to read. Her strained relationship with her father figured prominently and clearly affected her. I think it is an honest look into what kind of real mental struggles that a top athlete can have from the beginning to the end of their career.

This was better than I expected for a sports autobiography. Got really into it and read it quickly.

I read this right after I read the autobigraphy of her great rival, Anna Meares, and together they made a great set, such different backgrounds, personalities and career trajectories. Pendleton shares her life generously, read like the real thing. Left with an indelible impression of an intense person.

Brilliant read! Remarkable woman. Such grit & determination. Seems crazy to think she enjoyed very little of her competitive years but she is made of stronger stuff than most of us!!! Superb read

Victoria Pendleton had two adversaries during her cycling career - herself and Anna Meares! Team management failed her at a time when she needed its assistance most. A most touching read.

I have always admired Victoria as a supreme champion and for what she achieved during her phenomenal cycling career. It was puzzling that she was so fragile, which underlay her outstanding competitiveness and achievements. But after reading her autobiography I am amazed that she actually achieved what she did. There were so many odds stacked against her initially. To come through so many barriers to her progress is a testament to her strength of character. And that in itself is at odds to her apparent fragility. My respect for her as an athlete grew as I progressed through her story. That strength of character came to the fore during her recent (April 2019) stunning performance on "The Stand Up For Cancer "Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins". She is a well respected and admired person and athlete and a superb role model to young girls, who dream of one day emulating her. A really great autobiography.

This is a great autobiography, open and honest. I enjoyed the book a lot more because of Victoria's honesty. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I have read a lot of autobiographies from the male cyclists and have to say aside form a couple of mentions I did not know a great deal about Victoria Pendleton (VP). So I can see and understand how she can feel slightly undervalued despite her great and many accomplishments. The thing that separates this book is that it is VP's whole career and more importantly life to this point. This allow VP to spotlight some problems other athletes could be facing today, and let them know they are not alone and can get help.The books starts at the Beijing Olympics 2008 and VP getting ready for her for the Olympic final. She mentions the people are around her and the mental preparation she need to ride and win at the elite level. From here on I was hooked into this book. The book then goes back and follows a more chronological order with VP being the little girl riding after her dad up the hill, trying to keep pace with him. She credits these rides as the foundation for all her future success.The book is very emotional, (which I prefer to an author just throwing facts at me), and allows a reader to be part of VP journey, and understand how she is feeling in the moment. It does not just cover the gruelling physical training needed to become an athlete, the mental aspects, the sacrifices, the rewards and the emotions toils and highs. Probably as this book is written after VP's career has ended she is able to talk about issues and people she might now have been able to speak about if she was still competing.Bradley Wiggins (BW) said writing his first book In Pursuit of Glory: The Autobiography was very therapeutic for him as it allowed to him to put some ghosts to rest and getting his thought on paper allowed him to reflect on aspects of his career. I certainly hope this book allow VP to do the same. There were many emotional low for her. Probably because of her honest and open writing I was drawn even deeper into the book and was really rooting for her to break out of them. As she puts when problem like these arise it is not a simple matter of saying I have a job to do I am going to get on with it. They need to be worked through and in some case harnessed for fuel or motivation. I would like to say being emotional does not mean VP is in any way whinny FAR FROM IT!!!! She is a tough fighter of a girl who is not shy about the issues she faced, but used them to become the athlete/person she is now. She gives full credit to all the people who helped her in anyway. I don't think she is overly critical on people who treated her a bit rough. She even acknowledges the help these people had given her in the past.VP like BW did also find herself the focal point about certain issues in the sport. In BW's case his anti-doping views, and in VP's the discrepancy between the number of event for women and man. BW did also mention this in his second book Bradley Wiggins: My Time: An Autobiography.Sometimes I get annoyed when top athletes and over the top personalities say how shy and insecure they are then in the next minute are back in "character". This does not happen in this book. VP's writing makes me feel that she is someone quite insecure who found the mental aspects of elite cycling harder than the physical aspect and her journey, (trials and tribulations), of overcoming this. This is a great book by a great athlete, the only thing missing I think from this book that was in other athletes book is there is no glossary/summary of achievement or results at the end of the book, the racing passages of this book are so gripping it make me feel like I was there watching. Great book buy it you will not regret it. In Pursuit of Glory: The AutobiographyBradley Wiggins: My Time: An Autobiography

The golden girl of British Cycling bowed out of the sport, following a memorable 2012 London Olympics. The events at the Veledrom created a lively atmosphere as millions of us tuned to our screens or were fortunate enough to watch it live. We observed British domination and a few controversies along the way. These moments are relieved in the book. Victoria's career is filled with despair, jubilation, triumphs and disappointments. It is a well crafted autobiography of a truly world class cyclist. I found the autobiography interesting, fascinating and insightful. We learn a great deal about Victoria surfacing on different levels.She opens her heart out to readers, by expressing feelings and views throughout each chapter. She is opened minded and honest. The autobiography is a reflection on a career to be proud and cherish for a lifetime. It covers important aspects of what any autobiography should do to arouse reader's interest. She is hailed as a World and Olympic Champion, but the route to success was a stormy patch. She experienced turbulent years. Her mental state was fragile.The gruelling train regime's were physically draining. There is a detailed insight about the relationship with various coaches. At times, she experienced increased isolation and disillusion and these are exposed, as we gain a behind the scenes look. These emotions burst out in the book. Her fierce rivalry with Aussie Anna Meares was one of the pivotal moments of her career, as she had always had a point to prove when beating a worthy opponent. Although the professionals career is centre of attention, we do gain some insights about the family background. Her family life draws attention. Her father was a cyclist and played a pivotal role in building Victoria as a professional cyclist.The autobiography paints a detailed picture of the cyclist. Victoria is a different kettle of fish compared to fellow successful British female sportspersons. I have read a book about another British female sportperson to back the point. Victoria comes as insecure, lacks confidence and belief. She struggled to handle pressure at times and took things personally. Overall, she comes across as a nice person. It is great achievement for her to reach the heights of prominence and excellence. Just like any sportpersons, she had to make sacrifices.This has been contributed by resilent and a test of character. I found the autobiography engaging and well written. It is written in a chronological order which adds coherently and easy to follow for readers. I would recommend to read "Between The Lines" if you express interest in sports, particularly knowing about Olympic stars route to success. Behind the scenes, things do not turn smoothly as the emotionally drained cyclist experienced. This makes Between The Lines an intriguing piece of reading.

Great read about a clearly talented rider who has battled her own fragility more than her opponents over the yrs.Her battles with Anna Mears are legendary and there is clearly some resentment about Mears and her tactics with Pendleton often refering to Mears in unflattering terms.Over the yrs Pendleton has had to battle some extremely aggressive male coaches and this is where her fragile state of mind has often led to her failing, until she eventually teams up with coaches who recognise her ability and employ a sports psychiatrist to provide the reassurance Pendleton requires - from this point there's no stopping her and she trounces all her competitors, Mears included.Her treatment by some of the coaching staff, when she begins a relationship with one of the coaches, is nothing short of scandalous and leaves a sour taste in the mouth.That said, she's had a fabulous career and has been rightly lauded by one and all. Certainly worth reading the Nicole Cooke book though to compare the two riders and how they've approached their respective careers.

The last two books I have read have both been cycling autobiographies - this and Bradley Wiggins: My Time: An Autobiography. Both are by Olympic gold medallists and both give a fascinating view of what it is like in top class sport. Pendleton has been a staggeringly successful cyclist from a young age but was always beset by doubt and insecurity. The book is as much about her battle with herself as about with her rivals.And now that she is retired from competitive sport, she can be more honest than Wiggins about life inside British cycling. The picture of the machinery behind the staggering success of our track cyclists in recent years is not entirely flattering - she feels that the men get more support than the women, that the emotional intelligence of some of the coaches is not what it needs to be but, more surprisingly, she is left to do a lot herself. I had assumed that every athlete would have a personalised programme prepared by a number of specialists, but it seems a bit more haphazard than that.But Pendleton is very honest throughout, how close she came to leaving cycling before London, and she is unsparing about herself and others. She also focuses on the relationship with her financee (possibly husband now) Scott Gardner - a cycling coach with whom her relationship caused a lot of difficulties and tensions inside the cycling camp. This is one of three relationships that drive the narrative - the other two are those with her father Max, who used to take the young Victoria on long training rides as a child, and Anna Mears - the Australian sprinter. The competition between these two world class athletes drove both to new heights.If you are in the market for a sporting biography, you could do a lot, lot worse than this. it's honest, gives genuine insight into life at the top and doesn't pull its punches. Recommended Bradley Wiggins: My Time: An Autobiography

This is an emotional journey that shows just what it takes to make an Olympic champion. I will admit I’m not someone who has followed Victoria’s career from the start, rather, I am a wife and mother in my forties who discovered cycling less than five years ago and who now owns a Pendleton Initial road bike. The more I ride the more interest I have for the sport and it’s stars and I couldn’t wait to read Victoria’s story. I was instantly hit by the drive, determination and emotion flowing through this book that gripped me and kept me page turning. I also learned a lot about the world of track cycling, and the work and sacrifices it takes to become a champion. Reading this book left my head awash with emotions and adrenalin as well as a huge respect for a great sportsperson.

This book seems to be an open and honest account of VP's life. Non-cyclists will be relieved that it doesn't go overboard on technical detail about bikes and races, though you do get enough information to make sense of the different types of training and races she was involved in. I think the book shows her in all lights and I was surprised and pleased with her candid and unflinching revelations about her emotional fragility, the difficulties caused by the reaction to her relationship with her fiancée, and how she viewed and competed against her toughest opponents. VP's intelligence and humour also shine through in this book and I'm very glad to have read it as I have a far better understanding of what she endured and overcame to become the world class champion that she is and always will be.

Victoria's autobiography gave a fascinating insight into what motivated her to become an Olympic champion in the field of cycling. The book covered her humble beginnings in Hertfordshire, the inspiration to cycle from her Dad who was a keen amateur cyclist, and her desperation to please him through cycling. Her early career showed how desperately unhappy she was at times despite her efforts and Olympic successes in Beijing. I am pleased for her that she finally seemed to find the happiness that alluded her when she met her fiancee Scott, despite criticism from team mates because he was one of her coaches. She showed great strength of character by overcoming this negativity by bowing out in style at the London 2012 Olympics.

I was not sure what to expect in purchasing this. What you get is a warts and all, open and honest account of great success but crushing lows. Huge credit to Victoria P for committing to paper some of the topics that she covers. A fantastic read.

There's no questioning the fact that this book provides a facinating insight to Ms Pendleton's world. You cannot fail to be moved by the description of the terrible 'tough love' treatment her father meats out to her as a young child on her earliest training rides. How she dedicates her first Olympic Gold medal to him is beyond my comprehension. None the less, Between The Lines helps us understand how this supposed frail and overly feminine young lady set out to and ultimately did dominate the world of womens' track sprinting.We see clearly the personal turmoil she experiences at the hands of her own self doubt and feel the pain of the blade she uses to cut a way through the clouds her doubt envelops her with.One cannot help but feel that at heart Ms Pendleton is still the same fragile little child searching for a father's love. As such, at times her writing style can prove a little 'soppy.' On the whole however we must give credit where credit is due. A very good read from a truely great cyclist.

It all looks very romantic to see a smiling female picking up gold medals but life behind the scenes is not a bundle of laughs in a male dominated sport. It is very interesting to read about the downside of some of the relationships. The most upsetting was the treatment of her and her coach when their relationship was brought into the open, especially by some high level officials. I was very inerested, and pleased, to see that she made no reference to these smug characters in the closing acknowledgments in the book. Now a high profile character- pity she can't dance.

Bought this for my husband as he's a huge cycling fan. Yep great book. He thoroughly enjoyed it. The life of a cyclist is not an easy one. It takes commitment, dedication, desire and absolute grit to be up there with the top. Victoria Pendleton is one of these athletes and is an inspiration to others!! :))

I bought this as a present but haven't had a chance to read it myself. However the person I bought it for really enjoyed it and said it brought a very interesting angle to the world of cycling. He won't say more as he doesn't want to spoil it for me, but I can say that he would recommend it to anyone interested in cycling and the world behind it.

A very honest open portrait of a great champion. She is vulnerable and shares many difficult painful emotional situations. She breaks into the top level of UK sprinting as the only woman and has enormous influence on the increase in the number of women's events at the Olympics. I admire her and hope she will support UK sprinting for many years.

Good