Quotes from Lizzie Armitstead

I never quit. The times when I have quit in the past because I couldn't face trying harder have stayed with me, and the guilt is not worth it.

Most of my friends are non-cyclists. They are interested and proud of my achievements, but, equally, if I stopped tomorrow, they wouldn't say much about it!

Outside the Olympics, there are massive discrepancies within all sports. But the positive side for me is that the Olympics are the biggest platform there is, and there's total equality across all sports.

You've got all that 130 km. of being totally focused, and as soon as you cross the line, it takes a few seconds to realise what's happened.

It's fantastic news that the Aviva Women's Tour will continue in 2016.

As a British rider, it's a privilege to be able to compete on home roads. The British public have really taken to cycling, and you can see that when the race goes through different towns: the community really gets behind it.

I've been successful because I've never been someone to shy away from taking responsibility.

I have got lots of silver medals, from Delhi in 2010 and London in 2012, so it would be nice to pick up some golds, and the Commonwealth Games is a great place to start.

I have a strong, inspiring, and professional group of women around me with Boels-Dolmans. We race and train incredibly hard as a team.

I'm a very goal-oriented person, so I look at the specific demands of a certain race and tailor my training towards that.

Eating well is really important to me. That means having balanced meals, never missing a meal, never skipping a meal, having a balanced diet, and never doing anything extreme.

I eat a lot more now than I ever used to. I have taken a real interest in nutrition and believe in the difference that makes when fueling your body correctly. That means never skipping a meal and making sure that my diet supports my training needs.

I am not a robot; I am a member of a family - my commitment to them comes over and above my commitment to cycling.

The UCI have to make the decision to put in rules into women's cycling that they have in men's cycling: you know, like a minimum budget to run a women's team and that sort of thing so that it becomes more professional.

I am sorry for causing anyone to lose faith in sport.

I can't feel sorry for myself.

It's not always about gold medals, I think. It has to be about development, and we are missing that in U.K. at the moment.

A world championship medal on the road is something that I'm missing from my CV.

The problem, as a female athlete, is that you don't want to come across as negative and moaning.

There are a lot of people I look up to and respect, but there's nobody really specific I would call a hero.

As a female athlete, I think it's really important to stand up on a podium and represent females and what we're capable of, and I always try to make political statements with what I do rather than with headlines.

I don't particularly buy into all the nutrition fads and that sort of thing.

Cyclists need to obey the Highway Code, not run red lights, and not ride with iPods on, and motorists need to be more respectful and look out for cyclists.

I'm excited to see the growth in women's cycling, and I think the Women's Tour has had a really positive impact on that change.