I’ve been riding on the roads from a very early age. Dad put me on the back of a tandem when I was six — he couldn’t find one with a small enough bike at the back, so he screwed wooden blocks to the pedals.

As we grew up, he took my brother and me all over Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, and never on the same route twice within six months. I train at the Manchester Velodrome, but I still cycle on the roads as part of my recovery schedule. The muscles can get quite tight and it flushes out the lactic acid.

I tend to stick to the same routes through the Cheshire countryside; there’s a fairly flat route I take or, if I head towards Buxton, it’s more rolling. Apart from anything else, being out in the fresh air clears the mind — it’s hard to get stressed when you’re riding through the countryside.

I always go out training in my Great Britain kit mainly because I’ve got an abundance of it. But also I feel that if someone clocks the top, maybe they’ll give me a bit more space — cycling as much as I do on the roads is simply dangerous. As an athlete, you feel like a super-hero — it’s all about your body and how far you can push it — but on the roads you’re vulnerable.

Related Internet Links

• The best cycling holidays in the world

The dos and don’t of buying a bicycle

With thousands to choose from we offer a practical guide to purchasing the model that’s right for you

• Hot wheels for cyclists from £200-£800

Cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End

Riding the length of the land in ten days tests mind and body to the limit

• Cycling in the New Forest

Cycling in the New Forest

The only risk of collision is with a leaping deer, says Ben Webster

Related Links

• The best cycling gear for men

There are times when I think I’m lucky to be alive. But Dad taught me very well. His main advice was always assume the worst. Assume that the driver hasn’t seen you. If there’s an opportunity for anyone to pull out, assume they will. “Never make a manoeuvre until you see the whites of their eyes,” he would say. So I was taught to ride confidently but always to expect the worst. That’s what’s kept me alive for so long.

When I go home, I often go out on the roads through Bedfordshire. There are a few places I love — they’re so beautiful and I never really appreciated them as a child. I love to cycle through villages like Old Warden. A lot of the houses in the villages along the route are thatched with lovely country gardens. If I were to show anyone a cycle ride, that’s where I’d go.

Victoria Pendleton won a gold medal in Beijing for individual sprint cycling