Shanaze Reade is back on track and going for gold... twice!

In media terms, there is no one bigger for BMX Racing in the UK than Reade. Never heard of her? Where have you been?

A professional track cyclist and BMX Racer, she began racing at the age of ten in her hometown of Crewe in Cheshire. She has since won three World, five British and eight European Championships, to name but a few. Not only that, she was also the only woman competitor selected for Team GB in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

With so many accomplishments already under her belt, it's easy to forget she's still only 23 years old.

I have to bring a picture of my brother and sister, and a lucky charm from my mum.
– quoted on Reade's Team GB Olympic profile

Starting Blocks

Following in the footsteps of professional BMX Racer and Champion Jamie Staff, who she cited as a huge inspiration, she bought her first BMX and headed to Tipkinder Park in Crewe, a track that incidentally was also used by Staff, originally from the same area.

In 2005, at aged 17, Reade spent a year racing the National Series with an entirely male team, before fracturing her knee two weeks before the UCI Championships. Determined as ever with her knee bound up and laced with painkillers, she competed regardless - but crashed in the Quarter Finals.

She became British National # 1 in the 'Elite Men (19 and over)' in 2006 following her stint racing the National Series.

BMX-Factor

Reade returned from a broken metatarsal bone to compete in the European Championships in 2006, and the World Championships in Brazil saw another win for the young starlet. In July 2007, she became Women's Senior UCI BMX World Champ at the UCI Track World Championships.

Taking up track racing as a way to keep fit during her BMX training, she went on to take part in her first track competition - the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics in 2007 at the Velodrome in Manchester. She won second place with teammate Anna Blyth.

The streak continued when, a month later, she and team mate Victoria Pendleton bagged first place in the Team Sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Mallorca. She was named the Sunday Times Young Sports Woman of the Year in 2007, this adding to the title she previously gained from the Daily Mail back in 2005 as one of the 'Magnificent 7'.

At the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester, she again took Gold with Pendleton.

Olympics - fall from Grace

Focusing on BMX for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she was the sole woman member of Team GB. She became favourite to win Gold at the women's event after a media frenzy, and despite suffering a crash on the first qualifying heat time trial, still scored enough points to advance to the finals. Unfortunately she crashed again, conceding any chance of a medal. She failed to complete the race but even if she had done so, she'd have been relegated to last place.

Back in the Saddle

Shanaze returned to track racing in 2009, where she was reunited with Pendleton in the team sprint events at the World Track Championships in Poland. However, they only seized the silver medal, losing their crown to Australia.

London Calling

In 2010, Reade returned to top form and grabbed Gold for Elite Women at the World BMX Championships in South Africa. She also announced that she hopes to make history by becoming the first British cyclist to win Gold in both BMX and Track disciplines at London Olympics 2012.