If you fancy having Victoria Pendleton as your personal trainer, you're in luck

As one of Britain’s most successful Olympians, Victoria Pendleton knows what it takes to push yourself to the limit.

Today, the retired cycling star told how she is joining the “other side” by going back to school to follow her dream of becoming a personal trainer.

Pendleton — who has two gold medals and one silver — is swotting up on her notes from university, where she studied sport and exercise science, in a bid to get her advanced personal trainer qualification.

The 33-year-old, who married sports scientist Scott Gardner last year, said: “I’ve been doing a bit of revision from my days in uni having looked back through my notes, I’ve been reviewing my anatomy and physiology. Just so I sound like I know what I’m talking about.

“It’s on my list of things I’ve always wanted to do and the opportunity sprung up and I was like: ‘Yes’. That’s what I’m going to do then, I’m going to start in January and crack on.”

As part of the PT Reps level 3 qualification, Pendleton will “drop in” on sessions and study from home online.She said: “I’m going to work through the levels in close succession. I’ve got six weeks’ worth of stuff to do at the moment, that’s my first section.”

Pendleton, who is an ambassador for Fitness First, urged Londoners to get active by taking part in their Red Monday campaign, launching on Monday, by attending their free classes. She said: “I honestly don’t know how people live without it (exercise). Plus having gym smugness is the best feeling in the world.”

Since retiring, she has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, helped design a bike range for Halfords and released her autobiography. She misses the “camaraderie” of the British Cycling team but says she is enjoying living in the Oxfordshire countryside, working on the house and going running with neighbours.

She said: “It’s been so nice to have time to spend with Scott, it being less about me and more about him. It’s a very selfish lifestyle (being an athlete), it was all about my performance, what I needed to do and what’s best for me and it is really nice to be looking after someone a little bit, like making him packed lunches and stuff.”

She said she is “so happy” for fellow Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, who announced last week that she is pregnant, but said she is “not quite there yet” herself in terms of being ready to start a family. “People keep asking me and I’m like ‘No mum, not yet’. There will be time for that but there are too many other things I want to do first.

“To have a focus outside of your training as an elite athlete, I think would create a really good balance and I know a lot of women have come back to sport after having children and been a lot happier, stronger, physically and mentally. She (Ennis-Hill) was saying she’ll train for Rio after, so yeah, it’s a cool thing to do. She’s braver than me, I’m not ready yet.”

Pendleton also admitted she finds cycling in London “terrifying” and called for improved safety. “Cycle routes need to be safe and paint on its own on the road doesn’t necessarily keep you safe. I’m not sure how it should be done because London is so tight for space, it’s difficult to create those kind of cycle routes.

“Personally, I’d rather ride a bike in the countryside because it’s terrifying in London, absolutely terrifying on my bike. I’ve only done it a few times on those Boris bikes and the idea of doing this every day scares me a bit. I consider myself to have quite good bike-handling skills.”

Victoria Pendleton is Fitness First’s official ambassador for Red Monday which launches on Monday 20 January to celebrate the brand’s relaunch. fitnessfirst.co.uk