VICTORIA Pendleton’s staggering journey from cyclist to jockey culminated in a stunning fifth-placed finish at the Cheltenham Festival.

Following her first victory as a professional jockey at Wincanton a fortnight earlier, the double Olympic cycling champion, who lives in Moreton, near Thame, recorded a staggering achievement – just over a year since she first sat on a horse.

Riding Pacha Du Polder for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, Pendleton claimed fifth place in the St James’s Place Foxhunters Chase.

Oxford University were beaten for the first time in four years in the Boat Race, losing out to rivals Cambridge by two-and-a-half lengths.

The Dark Blues had won six of the previous eight races, but struggled in choppy conditions on the Tideway.

In the women’s race, Oxford surged to a commanding 24-length triumph.

Bradley Smith cemented his place among MotoGP’s elite after securing a factory ride, starting from the 2017 season.

Just hours before the opening of the season, Smith announced that 2016 would be his final campaign as a Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, penning a two-year deal with Austria-based KTM.