Mum’s weight loss inspires Olympic hopeful

One of Great Britain’s big medal hopes for the Olympic Games would probably never have become a cyclist if it wasn’t for her mum’s mission to lose weight.

That is the opinion of Laura Trott, who first got into cycling at the age of eight when her mum, then a size 24, decide she as going to start a slimming regimen and took her children to the local cycling track.

In the year 2000, Glenda Trott was told she was too heavy to get on a cable car while on holiday and immediately set a weight loss target, which she hoped to achieve by cycling and eating healthily.

Little did she know that the chain of events would lead to her daughter Laura falling in love with track cycling and eventually becoming World and European champion in her sport – with a possible Olympic gold medal next on the horizon.

“My mum really wanted to lose weight and a friend suggested that she try the local track at Welwyn Garden City. We all loved it. It was something we did as a family and we would go out on the bikes together. Soon I was spending every week on the track,” she added.

Glenda’s weight loss will be all the more worthwhile if her daughter races to gold at London 2012.