I often see riders in Welwyn colours when I’m out pedalling in Hertfordshire. How important were the Wheelers to your career? Dan
Ah, they were so great. Joining a cycling club as a young cyclist was one of the best ways for me to develop my abilities and grow my confidence on the bike. I’m a big believer that if you surround yourself with the right people you can all push each other to do great things, and that starts right at the very beginning, whether it’s riding with a club or riding with friends it’s so important to make sure you surround yourself with people that want to succeed as much as you do.
It’s been a joy watching you and the team over the years bringing home so many wins and great moments. I came off my bike a couple of years ago and dislocated my shoulder. I am a senior citizen and I’m still struggling to get back on my bike to go any great distance as I still envisage the pain I felt at the time. You have obviously suffered a few big injuries over the years. Is there anything I can do to push through this? Brian
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get your distances back up too quick. Cycling is hard, and if you have an extended break, it’s really easy to lose your long-distance legs. However, the good news is, it’s just as easy to get them back! My advice would be to try and get back on the bike and do a little and often, and then week by week gradually increase your distances, which should also help regain your fitness and also increase your confidence out on the bike.
Do you ever just get a bike out to cycle down to the shops? I have the idea that “racing” cyclists never do any “utility” cycling, is this true where you or Jason [Laura’s husband] are concerned? Chris
Haha – when we were professionals, if we weren’t training, we were doing our best to spend as little time on our feet as possible. However now we’ve retired we do a little bit, primarily if we want to get out and about in our local area with the kids for some fresh air. I got given a city-style bike with a basket on the front as a retirement present, which is a surprisingly comfortable ride and then Jason has an ebike which is super handy, as you can pretty much get the entire family on it!
I’m immensely proud of all your achievements but, most importantly, that they renamed the Reg Grundy leisure centre in Cheshunt to Laura Trott. I’m sure he was a nice guy but it was a terrible name. Do you think they should update the name to match yours? You should come and cut the ribbon if they do? Eddie
It was such a lovely gesture when they did that, and I’m really proud to be from Cheshunt, to have somewhere that I spent so much time growing up named after me really is an honour. I was obviously Laura Trott when they changed the name of it, and I know how much effort goes into the renaming of places, so I’d never expect them to change it again, and in a way, it’s a nice nod to London 2012, so I think it’s fine just as it is!
How many of your gold medals would you give up to see Spurs win the league? Antony
As much as I’d love to see Spurs win the league, my gold medals took years of sacrifice, dedication and hard work and I don’t think I could ever physically bring myself to trade them for anything!
I love watching cycling, especially velodrome events. What events apart from cycling will you be looking forward to at the Olympics? Scott
Behind cycling, trampolining is my second love, so I am really looking forward to watching the action unfold there next week. I trampolined a lot growing up, so I have a pretty good understanding of the sport, and my son also does it now and absolutely loves it, so we’ve been looking forward to that for a while! We have a really strong medal hope in Bryony Page, she’s the current world champion and already has a silver and a bronze from previous Games, so hopefully Paris will be her moment to complete the set with a gold.
It’s been brilliant watching you cycle in the Olympics, thank you. What other British competitors taking part in the Olympics this year, other than cyclists, excite you the most? Probo
Helen Glover is great and I’m really looking forward to seeing how she gets on after returning for another Games. I know all too well the sacrifices and effort that go into winning a medal when you are also balancing a busy family, so it would be nice to see her do well.
Some of my most joyous sports spectator moments have come from watching you, Jason and the GB cycling team win Olympic medals. I find myself pacing up and down in my living room and squealing and screaming at the telly like a banshee. How will you keep yourself calm as a pundit, especially if we win golds? Debra
Given I’ve only just recently retired, a lot of the women’s track team are all still really good friends of mine, Jason is also coaching the men’s team, so to be honest it’s probably going to be really difficult! The good news is that as a pundit, you normally get to talk about races before and after, so hopefully my excitement in those moments shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Your husband’s final race – at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – was extraordinary. It was a case of: “He can’t do this, can he? Hang on. He can!” How did your feelings watching him in that race compare with your own experiences of winning gold? Greg
I’m such a nervous racer, and I’m an even more nervous spectator, but Jason’s race in Tokyo was on a completely different level. There was so much drama at the beginning of the race, to be honest I was just relieved when he finally got away from the start line, so when he then went off and did what he did, I could not have been happier for him. There really is nothing like winning your own gold medal, but what I will say is watching the person you love perfectly sign off their Olympic career in the most unbelievable way runs a pretty close second!
At times when you found yourself really down when training, how did you pull yourself out of it? Ken
Talking. Talking is so important, and I always say it has been my most important tool in maintaining my mental health over the years. I’d never keep things in – if something or someone had annoyed me, I’d always go out of my way to talk through the situation rather than let it fester and play on my mind.
How did you keep your emotions in check during London 2012? Was it difficult to stay grounded as a teenager considering how many eyes were on you? Sam
London 2012 was actually pretty easy for me as I turned up to it as a bit of an unknown, I’d only been in the Olympic programme a year or two. To be honest my approach to London was just to embrace the experience, I was just super-happy to be there, so I was more focused on really enjoying being there and absorbing the incredible atmosphere that London had to offer.
Among your many winning attributes is your ability to maintain discipline and focus during the chaos of racing. Off the track, you seem to be a very natural, impulsive and spontaneous person. Does your racing focus and discipline come naturally or is it something you’ve had to learn? During a race, how do you balance your instinct against your training/preparation? By the way, I think it’s the combination of your uninhibited, unguarded off-track persona and your hyper-focused, ruthless on-track persona that makes you so bloody likable! Phil P
I’m incredibly competitive and always have been, I hate losing and I know the best way to avoid losing is to give absolutely everything you can to be the best, and I have always been like that. Naturally, there is a really fine line between sticking to your plan, and acting on an opportunity if it arises. The easiest way for us to find that balance would be to train for as many scenarios as we possibly could but also train in a way that we knew we were fastest out there. If you know you are the fastest then whatever happens with the other riders, if you execute your plan and stay out of harm’s way, you’ll likely win.
I was born in 2004 and have never seen an Olympic Games held in America in my life. If you can, could you please come out of retirement for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics? Kurt
I’m really happy just enjoying my retirement but there are some really promising young athletes coming through, so whatever happens in 2028, you’ll be sure to see some incredible athletes in the prime of their life!
Can you remember winning your first ever race? What did it feel like? Sean
You are testing me there! For my first ever race you’d probably have to ask my parents, they were always pretty good at remembering. For me personally though, the first big race that sticks in my mind, was when I became junior world champion in 2010. I think it was the start of me really recognising my own potential and I remember thinking to myself afterwards: “I’m the fastest in the world, how cool is that?”
How often do you ride now and for how long? Ian
At the moment, not a lot, I’ve just been really enjoying spending time with Jason and the boys and just generally having some time off! I’ll eventually get back on the bike I’m sure, but right now it’s time away from the boys which I don’t need to take! I have started running though, as it was something as a bike rider I’d never do when I was training, so being able to do that is a new sense of freedom … and I can bring the buggy!
• Find out what Laura thinks of Emma Finucane and Team GB’s chances in her first column for the Guardian on Saturday
