Cyclist McGregor honoured

McGregor has become internationally renowned

Yvonne McGregor discovered competitive cycling relatively late in life - but she soon made up for lost time.

McGregor was an accomplished fell runner when she went into cycling 11 years ago aged 29.

It was a career switch which was to bring her international acclaim and ultimately has brought her an MBE in the New Year's Honours List.

McGregor was stunned to learn she had won the accolade.

"It was very unexpected but when I got the letter I was thrilled," she said.

"It's the kind of achievement I would like young people to take note of.

McGregor took bronze at Sydney

"It shows that if you're willing to dedicate your life to something and train really hard, then anyone from any walk of life is capable of achieving what they desire."

McGregor's first major breakthrough came in 1994 when she won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 25-kilometre points race at Victoria in 1994.

The following year she smashed the world hour record with a distance of 47.411km at Bogota, Colombia.

Her biggest disappointment came at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 when she finished fourth in the 3,000-metre pursuit.

But four years later she capped her international career by taking the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics.

Then she returned to her home track to win the world pursuit championship at Manchester less than two months later.

McGregor was hesitant to compare her track achievements with her latest honour.

"There's nothing comparable to the feeling of winning an Olympic medal.