21 Facts About Shanaze Reade

Shanaze Reade has won the UCI BMX World Championships three times.

Shanaze Reade was primarily raised by her grandparents after her mother gave birth to her at the age of 17.

Shanaze Reade has credited her grandfather with giving her the self-confidence to achieve success in her cycling career.

Shanaze Reade began racing in 1998 at the age of 10, at Tipkinder Park in Crewe.

Shanaze Reade commented on racing against men in a Descent World interview:.

Shanaze Reade raced the World Championships with her knee wrapped up and on pain killers but crashed in the quarter-finals.

Shanaze Reade won her first professional race in the Girls Pro at the American Bicycle Association Winternationals in Phoenix, Arizona on 1 April 2006.

In June 2006, Shanaze Reade broke a metatarsal bone in practice.

Shanaze Reade won the World Championships in Brazil in August 2006 despite an earlier injury to her foot.

Shanaze Reade had originally taken up the sport to keep her fit for BMX competition.

Shanaze Reade took second place with Anna Blyth in the Team Sprint in a time of 34.294 seconds.

Shanaze Reade was a last minute replacement for Anna Blyth, Shanaze Reade's partner at her first track racing event a month prior.

On 20 November 2007 Shanaze Reade was named The Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year.

Shanaze Reade is still active in track racing but concentrated on BMX for the event's first inclusion in the Olympic Games in 2008.

Shanaze Reade was the favourite to win the gold medal in the women's BMX event.

Shanaze Reade crashed in the first qualifying heat time trial, but the second heat saw Reade set second fastest time.

The final round saw Shanaze Reade ride slightly more conservatively conceding the lead to Anne-Caroline Chausson on the first berm.

Shanaze Reade crashed again on the final berm when she clipped Chausson's rear wheel, conceding the chance of a medal.

On 16 March 2009, Shanaze Reade was selected in the British squad for the World Track Cycling Championships in Pruszkow, Poland, where she competed alongside Victoria Pendleton in the Women's Sprint and Team Sprint events.

Shanaze Reade again represented Great Britain in the women's BMX event for the London 2012 Olympics.

Shanaze Reade has stated that she was approached by the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association to enquire whether she would consider competing in bobsleigh with a view to being part of the British squad at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but that she had turned them down.