Victoria Pendleton forced to pull out of Mount Everest climb with Ben Fogle
The former Olympian had joined the presenter for the expedition in aid of the British Red Cross.
Former Olympian Victoria Pendleton has been forced to pull out of a climb of Mount Everest due to health concerns.
The gold medal-winning cyclist was on course to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain with TV presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle, but has been advised by doctors to cut the trip short due to struggling with oxygen deficiency.
Pendleton wrote on Instagram that “after much deliberation” she had decided not to continue the climb.
“I am incredibly disappointed not to complete the challenge and
frustrated as I feel in great physical condition and was moving swiftly and efficiently through the icefall and across the glacier.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to have experienced one of the the most impressive, imposing and challenging environments on the planet, the Himalayas are a magical place I feel honoured to have visited.”
Fogle and Pendleton were attempting to climb the 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) mountain on the Nepal/Tibet border, in an expedition due to last about a month across April and May.
The pair, along with mountaineer Kenton Cool, were taking on Everest for the British Red Cross in a bid to highlight the environmental challenges mountains face.
Fogle and Cool have continued the expedition without Pendleton. The presenter confirmed on social media on Thursday that they had reached the third base camp at 7,200 metres (23,600 ft).
Fogle paid tribute to Pendleton on Instagram, where he has been posting live updates of the team’s progress.
He wrote: “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
In a further post he wrote: “I think she was far braver to concede. So many tragedies on Everest are borne from those who are blinded or dazzled by summit fever. Those who choose to carry on despite the risk to their health and well-being.
“We owe it to our families and we owe it to ourselves. The summit is merely the icing on the cake.”
Since retiring from cycling, Pendleton has become a professional jockey. She finished fifth in the 2016 Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
She was also a contestant in the 10th series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with professional dancer Brendan Cole.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper Pendleton explained why she had decided to take part in the Everest expedition.
She said: “As a female of a certain age, there’s one thing I should be doing, apparently, and that’s staying home and having kids.
“I want to be that person who goes, ‘No, I don’t conform’.”
