Victoria Pendleton joins Strictly Come Dancing

Interesting debate. I'll speak unsolicited for most Aussies - Victoria is held in huge regard for the enduring battles with Anna Meares. Australian cycling fans of course supported Anna - but if Anna lost to Victoria, it was sort of all right - because both gave it everything. Victoria being so open with her "fragility" makes her achievments even more inspiring. And being smoking hot - and soon to marry - she is now virtually an Australian. She can come work with Cycling Australia's kids any damn time she wants to ...

From what I've heard about her outfit, I think I've changed my mind!

dear oh dear, what a waste!

obviously putting more effort into being a 'celebrity' than a competitive cyclist ..

Vicky is clearly a deeply romantic woman as the whole scott saga illustrates. I find it bizarre that in the c21st a hierarchy has the sheer effrontery to tell anyone who they can and cant date - and of course 'forbidden fruit' is always more tempting. The fact that Queen Victoria performed so brilliantly at the olympics and still chose to walk away shows how dumb Brailsford and co are- I cant imagine a set of circumstances where she will have any input into the british cycling setup in the future and if she misses being involved in the sport imagine all that talent experience and drive being thrown away or worse yet snapped up by another nation.
In the short term though even though she is emotionally 'fragile' I can really see that helping in the ballroom bits of Strictly- plus as a supersexy fox who is easily the fittest (in every sense) contestant they have ever had on Strictly the Latin might be muy calliente.....Last but not least along with vicky's drive we have to factor in Scott. He has the skills that pay the bills when it comes to improving performance- and I cant see any reason why he cant apply them to dancing- in a way I feel sorry for whoever she gets as her partner cos she will have em in the rehearsal studio all day every day- slip off and have a tenner on the queen of the track to add a glitterball to her trophy cabinet

interesting to read the Guardian article. I wonder how Wendy Houvenaghel was supported at BC.

You can achieve glory but at what cost, Eddy the Eagle, having a bit of fun vs the performance plan we now have with results = funding/jobs. It sounds like the pro peleton

News just in... Pat McQuaid insists that Bruno Tonioli has no jurisdiction in this, and that only the UCI can judge Victoria's "American Smooth"...Oh hang on, he's changed his mind.

I wonder how hard the TV producers thought about this...

"let's see who can we put on a show that looks for tiny imperfections in a performance and draws attention to them? Perhaps someone who we know to be "fragile" and who has just gone through the stress of the Olympics, the pressures of training within a very controlled system ..."

On the other hand I doubt they gave those issues any thought at all. The only relevant thing they are likely to consider would be whether the people chosen will boost viewing figures.

Yes I'm cynical, realists usually are!

Hmmm, I'm not going to judge one way or the other, but I'm certainly not interested in the off the bike career.

I've got 'If I was' going around now!

So, who's hot favourite for the individual pursuit at Rio - Darcy Bussell?

Still won't make me watch Strictly! I would like her to win though.

I appreciate that Victoria choices to use the word fragile to describe her personality and I can understand how winning can make you feel more not less fragile,the internal criticisms, self doubt and the need to keep winning because that is all that you believe makes you of value to others. But there is more to her than this yes it is news worthy and yes it is a positive message to send out there to others who have or are self harming especially as she moves on from competitive cycling and is able to expresses herself more fully.

Yet anyone that watched her race Anna Meares could see (to barrow from Nietzsche) that she had found her superman (within) her own sense of right and wrong an understanding that nothing is permanent and one did not have to except being bullied or anything else as a way of life.

I would not be surprised if working with such a person was an uncomfortable experience for British Cycling but we should not forget they like her have prospered from their association.

The true value in her story is in her own words she is "not the perfect model of what an athlete should be, mentally or physically... It's not something that comes naturally, I wasn't born with it ... If you're willing to work, you can be better". So fragile yes but never forget to mention that she worked hard to be better both physically and mentally and that what she achieved in coming to terms with her vulnerabilities (fragility) others can achieve in their lives.

arrggghh - that song's going to be going around my head all day now. Can't believe he was (briefly) in Thin Lizzy too. I could never forgive him for Yellow Pearl (also used as the Top of the Pops theme in the 80s)

bugger, and me too now ... damn that Midge Ure and
his catchy lyrics

Now it's in my mind, thanks!

the song ' I'm dancing with tears in my eyes' just keeps going round and round in my mind, why ?