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How cyclist Jess Varnish is aiming for the 2012 Olympics

British Olympic cycling hopeful Jess Varnish - the new cycling world record holder - was inspired to get into the sport by her cyclist father Jim.

"When I was really young I used to go and watch him race," says Jess, who won team sprint gold at the 2012 track cycling world cup. "Some of the big cycling race events also have races for children so I could even join in on my bike!"

Olympic cycling hopeful Jess Varnish

Jess learned to ride her first bike when she was two-and-a-half - not long after she learned to walk!

She was racing in - and winning - "Pee Wee" categories at the age of four - with her dad running alongside her.

She started racing on the track when she was seven. Her first racing bike was rescued off a rubbish tip by her dad and refitted to make it serviceable.

Her biggest success came at the World Championships where she won silver in the team sprint.

Nowadays, she lives in Wilmslow, near Manchester and trains at the National Cycling Centre alongside the rest of the British team.

This includes Olympic legends Sir Chris Hoy and gold medallist Victoria Pendleton.

British Olympic cycling team: Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton

British cycling has enjoyed enormous Olympic success in recent years.

The British Olympic cycling team have achieved gold medals thanks to household names like four-time Olympic gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy, triple gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins, gold medallist Victoria Pendleton and gold medallist Rebecca Romero.

Varnish has been training alongside Hoy since she was 16.

"At first I didn't have a clue what to say to him but he's a normal, nice guy," she says.

She's also close friends with teammate Pendleton.

"It's so good to be able to race with Victoria," she says. "She's really encouraging and really good fun. We get on really well as friends.

"I get on really well with the track cycling team. We have a great relationship and I value them all immensely."

With such competition, it's a tough ask to get into the British 2012 Olympic cycling team.

"It's very difficult but it's the same for everyone," says Varnish. "We have to completely focus on what we're doing and give it 110%."

Olympic hopeful Jess Varnish: Cycling training

An Olympic training regime involves five to six hours of hard graft six days a week. This includes a two-hour gym session in the morning and three hours on the track in the afternoon.

"I've just been in the gym for two-and-a-half hours," Varnish says. "I do a lot of heavy weights to try to put on muscle mass, before doing a three hour track session in the afternoon."

She even used to cycle to the track but nowadays she takes her car. "Because of where I live, it's quite a long way and cycling there would add a couple of hours to my day," she says.