British Cycling has today confirmed that Rebecca Romero MBE has made the decision to leave the Olympic Programme.

“Having suffered several setbacks at crucial points, I believe I’m no longer on a pathway which will see me fulfil my Olympic ambition to win a second Olympic gold medal. I’m proud to have contributed to the cycling team’s great Olympic triumph in Beijing and I thank all the amazing people within British Cycling who were central to my success. I wish my current team mates every success in London next year” said Olympic Champion Rebecca Romero.

Performance Manager Shane Sutton said: “Rebecca’s decision to leave is a great loss to the team and it’s a shame to lose an Olympic Champion going into the Olympic year. Looking ahead, we have some great young talent in addition to experienced riders in the Team Pursuit squad and I’m confident we can remain on track to hit our performance targets in the lead up to and during the London Olympic Games.”