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Pendleton: British Cycling glad I'm gone

Victoria Pendleton won Olympic gold and silver in London © PA Photos

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• Profile: Victoria Pendleton

Victoria Pendleton believes the leadership at British Cycling is "glad" she retired from the sport after the London 2012 Olympics.

The two-time Olympic champion, who won gold and silver in the Velodrome this summer, caused a rift in the elite coaching set-up when she revealed her secret relationship with sports scientist Scott Gardner shortly after winning her first Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.

With strict guidelines in place regarding relationships in the national set-up, Gardner left British Cycling only to be later re-hired, but Pendleton claims the head coaches never came to terms with the news.

"They are glad to be rid of me to be perfectly honest because of the difficulty I caused them with the Scott situation," Pendleton said.

"A few people have made my life very difficult. [Head coach] Shane Sutton for one can be quite difficult."

Pendleton also revealed how she cut herself with a pair of scissors in front of support staff as coach Jan van Eiden struggled to come to terms with the news of her relationship.

The way he reacted I was distraught. I couldn't have done any of this without Scott.

"Cutting myself was showing them how much it was hurting me. It should have been the happiest moment of my life, I've just become an Olympic champion, but I felt like I had killed somebody."

Pendleton was also critical of the way coaches dealt with her young team sprint team-mate Jessica Varnish after the duo were eliminated from the event which they were tipped to win without a medal.

Pendleton and Varnish were relegated in their quarter-final showdown with China for an illegal takeover, ending Varnish's Olympic campaign.

Pendleton said: "I'm not sure who it was but one of the coaching staff said when she got back on the rollers, 'I wouldn't bother with that. That is not going to help you.'"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.