Nicole Cooke Road race cyclist

Nicole Cooke is the first British cyclist to top the world road race rankings.

She won a host of junior world and national titles before finding further success with the seniors.

In 2002 she grabbed Commonwealth gold in her first season and more recently she won the Grande Boucle Feminine - the women's equivalent of the Tour de France.

I started racing seriously when I was about 11-years old.

I remember my first big race was the Welsh Under-12 Cycle Cross Championships.

The following summer I took part in a mini Tour de France event in Holland.

It was just like the real thing with roads closed off and motorbike outriders. They even had coloured jerseys.

I was completely blown away!

That's when I knew for sure cycling was something I wanted to take further.

Road racing is all about endurance so you've got to be prepared to put in the hours in the saddle.

I clock up around 400 miles a week. That's 20 hours-worth of pedalling!

I think it's really important to structure your training well.

I don't spend much time in the gym. Most of my training is done out on the road.

You need to be mentally tough too.

But there's more to cycling than riding and racing. Tactics play a big part.

You have to keep an eye on your rivals and learn the best place to position yourself in the bunch.

That all comes with experience so be prepared to learn from your mistakes.

It was after I won the Junior World Championships for the third time that I was approached to join Italian team Acca Due O.

Cycling is a far more high profile sport in Italy than it is here.

Being able to concentrate completely on my cycling is fantastic. And it's a great opportunity for me to show what I'm capable of.

When I'm in Italy I share an apartment with a few of my team-mates.

There's a sense that we're all in it together.

Everyone's very committed and there's a real camaraderie between us.

The Cycling World Cup is a series of nine one-day races held around the world.

It's a similar format to the Formula One championship where riders collect points towards a final total.

One-day events like in the World Cup series are all about getting it right on the day.

Stage racing, like the Tour de France, is more about consistency.

But it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Belgian Eddy Merckx is a big inspiration to me. He was a brilliant all-rounder - and that's what I'd like to be.

You need ambition and determination to make it as a top cyclist.

I've always been really well motivated.

What I do is set myself targets to aim for. I've always set my sights high.

I'd love to win the Olympics one day.

Nothing comes without hard work though and it's vital to have the right attitude.

But the rewards have far outweighed the downside and I wouldn't change a thing.

There's no way I'd have achieved what I have done if I hadn't put all the effort in.