Cycling legend Kenny calls time on glittering career

Great Britain's most successful female Olympian Laura Kenny has announced her retirement from cycling.

The 31-year-old recently gave birth to her second child and had plans to compete in the Paris Olympics this summer but has decided to hang her bike up instead.

Kenny, who is married to former cyclist Jason, claimed she always knew she would know when the time was right to call it quits.

She said: "It's been in my head a little while, the sacrifices of leaving the children and your family at home are really quite big and it really is a big decision to make.

"More and more, I was struggling to do that.

"More people asking me what races was I doing, what training camps was I going on — I didn't want to go ultimately and that's what it came down to.

"I knew the minute I was getting those feelings. Once I said to Jase, 'I don't think I want to ride a bike any more', I started to feel relief."

Kenny was made a Dame in 2021 and admits she wants to remain involved in the sport she loves so much.

She is hopeful that she can work with Team GB in some capacity when they travel to Paris this summer and beyond.

She added: "There's nothing set in stone but there are things I'm so interested in doing.

"Something to help the younger generation, whether that could be some kind of academy.

"I could never be a coach because that's just too much pressure for me, but maybe something in the background that would help the youngsters have the opportunities I had."