Olympic champion Sophie Capewell on turning fitness goals to gold

Anyone who followed the Olympics this year will remember cyclist Sophie Capewell, who pedaled her way to gold in the Paris velodrome as an integral part of the GB sprint team. The 26-year-old spoke to Breast Cancer UK about the importance of friends and family in setting fitness goals, and the personal loss that kindled her passion for prevention.

Staying active is one of the best ways in which we can decrease our risks of developing breast cancer, but the desire to set fitness goals doesn’t come naturally to us all. Even the country’s top athletes sometimes have to face their demons on the world stage. Sophie’s story is the perfect example of this – though admittedly, she seems to have been genetically programmed for the podium.

“I would say it’s something I’ve always been working towards. As a kid, that was the goal. I always said, I want to be Olympic champion. Maybe it’s a bit strange for a six-year-old to be spouting that at primary school, but that’s what I wanted to do”.

There’s a glint in Sophie’s eye as she says this; clearly the childhood spark never left. Being part of a sporting legacy, as the daughter of paralympic cyclist Nigel Capewell, might have something to do with it.

“When I was younger, my dad used to coach at a local cycling club. So we were always surrounded by people involved in sport and it didn’t take long for me and my sister to be playing in the field watching while he was coaching, to just wanting to get stuck in. Having a competitive nature, that turned very quickly into I want to be the best at this. But the first thing was fun, which was an outlet for that competitive side.”

Sophie radiates positivity, which is unsurprising considering it’s not long ago that she smashed every fitness goal in the book, breaking three world records in one day to claim the title at her first-ever games. But another thing you might remember if you caught one of the most thrilling events in the French capital this summer was the raw emotion of her victory. These tears weren’t just down to the adrenaline rush that comes from such a test of physical endurance; or even the momentous sense of achievement; for Sophie it was down to the fact that in 2021, her father lost his ongoing battle with cancer.

“There are many pictures and videos of me crying on television. Apparently I made the whole nation cry. It’s because I looked up into the stands and he wasn’t there, but I wish he was.”

Understandably, this was an overwhelming moment for the cyclist.

“I know he’d be really proud of me. It caught me in the sense that it was the one moment that I wish I got to share with him. But at the same time, I felt really connected with him, so it was bittersweet.”

Sophie is very open about this dichotomy: how the driving force of her career has also been the hardest part of her journey, and her biggest source of conflict.

“I had a pretty straightforward career until I was about 17/18, and then my dad got ill. And then I was trying to manage life, dealing with somebody who’s obviously very close to me and was a big part of my cycling career; and then figuring out what was normal because as much as cycling was my career, my outlet, it also meant spending time away from him.”

Life got even harder when Sophie lost her dad in 2021.

“That grieving process and figuring out life after that; it’s almost as if you get a new perspective on things. That was probably the biggest hurdle.”

But it’s clear that even in his absence, her father was present in the velodrome, pushing her to achieve her fitness goals.

“It’s something that I used to speak to him all the time about. He said never aim for third, because if you’re aiming for third, you’re going to get fourth. You have to always aim to win, and his little sayings and his support were running through my head the whole time.”

Nigel Capewell’s legacy goes beyond his athletic achievements. Sophie continues to find the same fun in cycling that he gifted her all those years ago. In fact, it’s one of her most important motivators, especially when feeling the pressure.

“Ultimately my thing is finding the enjoyment. I love riding my bike; it’s a sport that I really enjoy. And so there’s lots of elements that I can relish in and have a bit of a play. Finding that outlet and finding something that you really enjoy really helps because it can distract you or it can push you in the right direction.”

As an athlete, Sophie often functions as part of an incredibly tight unit. She stresses the value of finding yourself the right companions to lean on.

“We all have roles in our team that are our strengths and that we can rely on. We use each other’s strengths to help build us up.”

Admittedly, we don’t all have world-class athletes like Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant as friends. But Sophie is adamant that this kind of strong support network – whether Olympic-level or not – will make staying active easier.

“It’s about using the people around you, firstly in a really fun and positive way, but secondly to help you. Working as a community is always a little bit easier than working on your own.”

Sophie concedes that while not every session will be fun, this community can also be instrumental to the success of your long-term fitness goals. It also means that even more people can reduce their risk of breast cancer together.

“When you get into working towards goals, a group can really be helpful in holding you accountable.”

For the cyclist, making these fitness goals is about starting small, without losing sight of the bigger picture.

“Obviously there’s a big competitive element and we want to win. So it’s setting those goals that you want to achieve. They don’t always have to be these mammoth goals of an Olympic gold medal or wanting to lose a lot of weight. If you start with the smaller, reachable goals and work towards a bigger one, it’s that momentum of motivation.”

“Every session, we have a little target, but we’ve got a big target down the road and it keeps you hungry. You keep fighting for it.”

This is why establishing your first fitness goal with Breast Cancer UK’s 30-day challenge could be so valuable.

“Even we take time off after big competitions and a lot of that time is doing very little. But it’s when we get back into doing regular exercise you feel better about yourself, you have more energy again. It’s also that you’re probably leaving the house; you’re getting fresh air; you’re in nature, or at least surrounded by some sort of trees, or green. And I think it does have a massive impact, even if it is something as small as making sure you go for a 10-minute walk a day.”

Sophie’s recommended activity for our 30-day challenge is hardly a surprise.

“I would be biased, but I’d say just get on a bike and go for a nice bike ride. We love just riding to coffee shops on easy days, and it’s not far. You can spin out, you’ve got a destination to get to, so you don’t just have to be aimlessly going somewhere.”

The Olympic champion is aware that the prohibitive cost of equipment makes the sport inaccessible to some. This is why she is involved in some upcoming campaigns to make bikes more affordable. But what is her advice in the meantime?

“If you don’t have a bike, get out and do a walk.”

“You could make it longer every day, or you could go somewhere to see something, but just be outside so that you get to have a bit of a change every day. Enjoy the weather while it’s still daylight.”

On top of this, Sophie has obvious personal reasons for wanting to inspire people to hit their fitness goals during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Cancer prevention is obviously very close to my heart. I have quite a few family members who have unfortunately had cancer and I lost my dad to cancer. He was super healthy and did everything that he could and sometimes that’s unfortunately the way it will go.”

However, rather than seeing this as a reason to stop moving, Sophie is keen to stress the opposite. According to the Olympian, any small changes we can make to reduce our risk of cancer are worth the effort.

“If there is any way that you can have any control and take control back, whether it’s by increasing your fitness and being more active, or going further into all of the research, that’s huge.”

This is especially important considering hitting these fitness goals might reduce our risk of breast cancer by a massive 20%.

“We want to beat it. We want it to go away. So let’s take the steps that we can towards it.”

Speaking of steps, Sophie has one last piece of advice for those struggling to stray from the comfort of the sofa on a dreary October morning.

“That first step is always going to be the hardest step you take. Try and find a friend who will do it with you, especially that first time, or set yourself a little goal. I’ll only do a 5 -walk or a 5-minute bike ride, but at least I’ve ticked that bit off, and then we’ll see how I feel after that. But small steps, find some fun and maybe find a friend.”

Has Sophie’s story inspired you? Play your part and sign up for our 30-Day Challenge to get active and reduce your risk of breast cancer. When you consistently hit your targets, the activity is more likely to become a lasting habit (source). 

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