I don't need to act like a bloke to be good at sport, says Victoria Pendleton

London, July 12 (ANI): Victoria Pendleton has opened up about life as the small and girlie one in the male-dominated world of cycling.

With just seventeen days to go until the biggest sporting event this country has witnessed in the capital, it is no surprise that the athletes are feeling pumped.

"I'm probably in the form of my life, and though I can't control what my competitors are doing, I feel like I'm really ready for the Games," the Daily mail quoted her as telling Zest magazine.

The petite athlete already has an Olympic gold from Beijing, nine World Championship gold medals, a European Championship win, plus a Commonwealth title - and she is tipped for great success for London 2012 in the three events she will compete in.

Although, despite being excited about her last ever Olympics, she doesn't deny that she's looking forward to when they're finished.

"While I'm incredibly excited about my last Olympics, in all honesty I'm also quite looking forward to 8 August, when it's all over!

"I've been training for this all my life, so I can't wait to celebrate - win or lose - and say thank you to all the people who've helped me along the way," she said.

But, life hasn't always been easy. She felt completely isolated during her early cycling years in a male-dominated world.

"People didn't take me seriously because I was small and girlie and didn't fit the cycling mould," she said.

At competitions, she says the Russian girls would try to intimidate her by patting her bum or winking at her, but it just made the star more determined not to change.

"I didn't need to cut off my hair and act like a bloke to be good at sport - I let my cycling do the talking," she said.

It's this medal-winning attitude of just being herself that keeps Victoria's feet firmly on the ground.

"Some people think that by talking about my insecurities, I'm giving my competitors an advantage. I don't agree.

"I'm letting people see that you don't have to be a superhero to be successful. If being open gives someone else confidence, I'm happy," she added. (ANI)