Former Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton earns amateur jockey licence

Former Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton has received her amateur riders' licence, taking her closer to her goal of racing in the Foxhunter Chase.

Pendleton, 34, will ride at Ripon Racecourse on Monday, making her competitive debut as a jockey in the Betfair Novice Flat Amateur Series race.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist started training as a jockey this year and has set an initial goal of riding in the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse in March 2016.

Earning her amateur riders' licence from the British Horseracing Authority was a key step in that process.

"The experience has been life changing; I can't imagine my life without it now," Pendleton said via a statement on Wednesday.

Pendleton won the women's keirin at the 2012 Olympic Games and the sprint four years earlier in Beijing.