VICTORIA Pendleton has taken on an ambitious project for BBC Radio Five Live – trying to get into the mind of a champion.

The first of a 10-part documentary series aired on the channel on Thursday night, predictably started with Pendleton’s own sport of cycling.

She interviewed two knights of the realm in Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Bradley Wiggins, who provided a refreshingly open exchange of views.

What interested me the most about what the Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France winner had to say was his enjoyment of training.

I have heard it said before that the makings of a true champion lie not in their natural, god-given talents but in the lengths they are prepared to go to make the best of what they have got.

In some sports, physique plays a big part. It is fair to say that someone like Usain Bolt, who is maybe not the hardest-working sprinter that ever graced the track, has been blessed with an extraordinary gift.

But people like Wiggins, on the other hand, have had to work hard – harder than their rivals - to get to the top.

What was really telling about what he had to say was his love of the “mundane part of the sport”.

“I love the romance of doing the training, which is the bit that no-one sees,” he said. “That might be a 5am gym session or an 8am session in the velodrome, before anyone else comes in.

“I've liked the feeling of being slightly ahead of the game and that goes back to being a kid. When I was 17, I rode from London to Rye on the south coast on Christmas Day where the family were staying at Pontins.

“They drove and I rode the 86 miles. Nan was cooking Christmas dinner. I remember thinking the World Junior Championships were the following August and none of my competitors would be doing this on Christmas day. I loved the idea of it. That's my motivation.”

The fact of the matter is that there are many different factors that go in to making someone a champion, but the most important of those is dedication.

Being prepared to go the extra mile – literally, in Wiggins’ case.

For those not blessed with that single-mindedness, it might be romantic to defer some kind of otherworldly greatness to our heroes.

Even for those like Eric Cantona, considered to have been blessed with a mercurial talent, the secret was not quite so romantic.

When asked what he owed his talent to, his simple reply was practice.

Youngsters like Ryan Giggs and David Beckahm, who were given an insight into the great Frenchman’s dedication on the training pitch, clearly took note.