Furthermore, the exact traits required to forge an Olympic champion proved entirely incompatible with becoming a popular teenage girl.
She played sports with an uncompromising intensity, driven by full confidence and an absolute intention to win.
Taking everything with an extreme seriousness, she found herself socially cast away for most of her teenage years.
This painful isolation was hard for someone who desperately wanted to fit in and please people.
This profound loss of control and lack of social belonging eventually manifested as an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
She became entirely obsessive over her food intake and developed a habit of hand-washing so severe that her skin was frequently left red and raw.
Art classes became a sanctuary not just for creativity.
The giant sinks allowed her to wash her brushes and her hands repeatedly without drawing unwanted attention from her peers.
The Call That Changed Everything
Isolation transformed into opportunity on a single afternoon when she was 16 years old.
The family landline rang, bringing a life-altering proposition from a representative of the British Cycling Federation named Marshall.
He noted that her name had been consistently appearing in the results section of Cycling Weekly. He invited her to try out for the national team.
While her father was delighted, she harbored deep worries that a career as a professional athlete was an impossible fantasy.
When she entered the professional circuit, an overwhelming sense of imposter syndrome took hold.
On the flight to her very first European Championships, she found herself seated next to Bradley Wiggins.
