My Perfect Sunday: Victoria Pendleton in The Sunday Telegraph

By the time I get to the weekend my brutal training routine has totally exhausted me, so on Sundays I stay in bed for as long as I can possibly get away with, catching up on sleep.

After a breakfast of poached eggs on toast, I’d jump on my bike – this time for a leisurely ride. We live in Wilmslow, which means I can cycle around Cheshire’s pretty lanes or get to the countryside in five minutes. On a cold, crisp winter morning, when the sun’s out, there’s nothing nicer. For lunch I’d go to the Bull’s Head in Mobberley with my team-mate Ross Edgar and his girlfriend, Kelly. I don’t really have a social life, so going to the pub makes me feel, for a while, like I do! On Sundays, two brilliant old guys play chilled-out jazz. It’s very cosy.

After a big roast, I’d go home and pick up my two Dobermans, Stella and Mr Jonty, who has such an aristocratic air about him that we just had to make him a “Mr”. I love spending quality time walking them and teaching them tricks.

Back home I’d spend a few hours on one of my creative hobbies. I’ve painted a couple of canvasses recently and I love dressmaking. I have a cupboard full of fabric and lots of great intentions, but I never seem to finish anything as I never get enough time to myself!

The rest of the evening, I must admit, would be spent with my feet up. I try to recuperate as much as possible on a Sunday because on Monday the brutal routine starts again…