1. Growing up in Wick was always full of adventure. Craig and I are off exploring down a lane.
2. On our first tandem holiday on the Isle of Wight, with Mum.
3. I have now got my first ‘racing bike’, I’m kitted out in a Z Peugeot outfit and ready to climb the mountains like Robert Millar.
4. During a stop at King’s Lynn – everything we needed for two weeks was in the bags on the back of the tandems.
5. My first international racing trip to the Helmond Youth Tour in Holland, aged 12. What a way to start – racing in the polka dot jersey!
6. At the British Cyclo-Cross National Championships in Durham, aged 14.
7. Aged 15 and racing the GHS 10-mile time-trial.
8. A successful week at the Manchester velodrome in 1999, winning a clean sweep of all five British U16 track titles for the second year in a row. Dad and I took great interest in watching the senior women’s races that year.
9. A few weeks later at the British Senior Road Race Championships. I won the sprint after a long break away with Yvonne McGregor.
10. Riding up from Southerndown beach, part of my daily cycle to school. No bag of books this time.
11. The first British winner of a World Championship road race in 18 years. After a season of near-misses, the joy on my face is evident.
12. Winning the time-trial at Lisbon in 2001 made it world titles in three different disciplines. Natalia Boyarskaya (left) took the silver medal. [Graham Watson]
13. On my return from Lisbon, Cardiff Ajax cycling club laid on a surprise welcome home party for me at Cardiff airport. Plenty of girls plus Geraint Thomas and the Rowe brothers.
14. Life at the Deia team was always exciting. Here Fany and I celebrate at the end of a race in Italy. In my first season, I valued Fany’s advice and encouragement.
15. Commonwealth Games road race gold, Manchester 2002, aged 19. [Press Association]
16. Winning the Amstel Gold Race was a highlight of my career. I had just turned 20, and was the first British winner of a classic since the days of Tom Simpson. [Corvos]
17. Weeks after the Amstel and Flèche double, I finished second to Genevieve Jeanson in Montreal, and then in the following Tour I had a huge crash. Out of shot is my smashed bicycle frame.
18. August 2003 Plouay – a World Cup win while I nursed a still injured knee was a great result, but masked long-term problems. [Getty Images]
19. San Francisco 2003 – the Americans really did a great job in putting on this race and supporting the women’s peloton. It’s a great memory of a win in front of huge crowds, but the hills in San Francisco were killers. [Garrett Lau]
20. My knee never recovered and I needed an operation to fix it. This was May 2004, three months before the Olympics and eight months since my last race.
21. I loved living in Treviso during my three years there. ‘Nonna’ made us all very welcome and I immersed myself in Italian life.
22. President and manager of Acca Due O was Maurizio Fabretto. His flamboyant passion always shone through.
23. Italy, July 2004 – winning the Giro at 21 was a great way to return to the peloton.
24. Descending from the Acropolis in the Athens Olympics 2004. [Independent]
25. April 2005 – shoulder to shoulder with Oenone Wood in the Flèche Wallonne, on my way to my second win.
26. The Holland Ladies Tour, September 2005, following keyhole surgery on my right knee. I was caught up in a crash on Stage 3 and had little form. Using tactical skill rather than strength, I crafted a great win on Stage 5 which boosted my confidence.
27. My only senior time-trial World Championships. En route to fifth place in Salzburg, 2006. [Getty Images]
28. 1984 Tour de France with winners Laurent Fignon and Marianne Martin. A rare sight – recognition of the women’s winner alongside the men’s.
29. What a team! Sarah Duster, Karin Thurig in the jersey as world time-trial champion, Priska Doppman, Joanne Kiesanowski, Christiane Soeder, the Austrian TT champion, and myself in the jersey as World Cup leader. We have won the team time-trial World Cup and I am about to become world no 1 ranked rider. [C J Farquharson]
30. Oenone Wood and I sprinting it out for the Geelong World Cup, 2007. The grime from the road after the earlier downpour is evident on my face. [C J Farquharson]
31. The women’s Tour de France of 2006. I am 23, riding in yellow, alone at the head of the race over Mont Ventoux. It was a childhood dream come true. [Getty Images]
32. A critical moment at Flanders, 2007. I pause towards the top of the Muur Geraardsbergen for Karin Thürig, shouting encouragement so together we can take the tactical advantage on the run into the finish. Zulfiya Zabirova was second and Marianne Vos third.
33. Beijing 2008. The final metres. [Independent]
34. I’d dreamt of this moment for a long time [Michael Stenning]
35. A fantastic welcome back in Wales at the Welsh Assembly. [Huw Evans]
36. A day like never before in the tiny village of Wick. Houses were decorated and there were many times more people present than the population of 700.
37. A shot of me not actually riding a bike!
38. Varese, 2008 World Championships. Mid-race, the break has a lead of nearly two minutes. I have to wait and be patient. [Getty Images]
39. The climax of the World Championships. After 15 minutes of constant attacks I pull away from Marianne Vos in the last few metres. [Getty Images]
40. 2008 World Road Race podium, with Marianne, myself and Judith. I am World and Olympic champion in the same year – the first time ever for a male or female. [Getty Images]
41. Collecting my MBE at Buckingham Palace. Andy Walser’s support and advice helped make 2008 a dream year.
42. Celebrating my 10th British National Championships, with Lizzie Armitstead second and Emma Pooley third. [Chris Mayer]
43. The ‘curse of the rainbow jersey’ held me in its grip for most of the year, but here was a great win on Stage 2 of the Emakumeen Bira in Spain.
44. The Vision 1 Racing team in a pre-season training camp. While it would not work out, the riders were fantastic and I am proud of how we raced and what we achieved in 2009.
45. 2010 World Championship road race – Geelong. So close yet so far. Judith and I were caught right on the line. [Press Association]
46. In a dark season, my win at Verona on Stage 5 of the 2011 Giro was a great lift. I drove to the line like my life depended on it.
47. London 2012 brought me lovely memories to cherish for the future, with people so kind in what they said. The population of Great Britain made me proud to compete on their behalf. It was a great way to sign off. [Reuters]
48. The Olympic road race, Beijing 2008. [AP/Press Association]
