Victoria Pendleton on why Strictly's a pain for cyclists

'My feet are already killing me': Victoria Pendleton on why Strictly's a pain for cyclists

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 01:07, 25 September 2012 | UPDATED: 08:35, 25 September 2012

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From pedals to pirouettes: Victoria Pendleton is still finding her feet on the dancefloor

The glamorous costumes, the dashing dance partner and the rhythm of the beat haven’t been too hard to get used to.

But no one told Victoria Pendleton about the toll on her feet.

The Olympic cyclist, now a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, is loving every glittering minute of rehearsals for the BBC1 show.

But her feet, she admits, are ‘killing me’. 

As well as getting used to high heels, Miss Pendleton, 32, is finding her ankles lack the flexibility needed to take her through her paces.

Stiff ankles were a bonus when she was spinning around the velodrome, but they are making life difficult spinning around the dancefloor. 

‘My feet are already killing me,’ she said.

‘Honestly. I have spent the last couple of weeks hobbling around trying not to get cramp,’ she told the Radio Times.

‘I’ve been banned from wearing heels for the last ten years and wearing them all day is agony. 

‘The flexibility in my feet is also very limited, which has always been an advantage in cycling. 

‘When you are pedalling, you need to keep your foot in the same position throughout the revolution otherwise you don’t get 100 per cent power transfer to the pedals.

Winner: Victoria Pendleton on her way to a gold medal at the London Olympics

Strictly: She has been paired with Brendan Cole in the latest series of the dance show Strictly Come Dancing

'Now my stiff ankles are a disadvantage and I’m struggling to change.’

Miss Pendleton, who took gold and silver at London 2012, to add to the gold she won at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, said the discipline of her Strictly schedule stopped her from feeling at a loss after retiring from cycling.

‘Other people would have taken a holiday but stopping training entirely and losing the structure of a daily routine would have been impossible for me,’ she said. 

But it seems her competitive edge may not be as sharp as it once was, with no driving ambition to win the show. 

She said: ‘I have been the best in the world at something already. 

'I can’t be greedy.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2208173/Strictly-Come-Dancings-Victoria-Pendleton-My-feet-killing-me.html#ixzz27TNO49JW
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