Double Olympic cycling champion Laura Trott has revealed how she snubbed an invitation to Sexiest Women in the World awards ceremony because she is determined to be a sporting role model for young girls.
The 21-year-old said such events are a 'no-go' because she wants to focus on her role as an athlete.
She said there was 'pressure to fulfil a certain image' but that it didn't appeal to her.
Her comments come after the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester at the weekend where she won gold in the women's ominium and the team pursuit - in which Trott and team-mates Dani King, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell knocked a staggering seven seconds off their previous world record.
She wrote in the Telegraph: "For all the benefits of being in the public eye, there is the odd downside too. Twitter goes mad sometimes with people saying weird stuff. It is a bit strange, but you can just ignore them. It is not even worth getting worked up about. But to a certain extent, there is a pressure to fulfill a certain image.
"Earlier this year I was asked to attend an awards ceremony for the Sexiest Women in the World. That was just a no-go for me. That whole other side of things just does not appeal to me. I do sport because I like being an athlete.
" I want to inspire young girls to get on their bikes, and I just believe there is a certain way of doing that, a certain way that I want to be seen."
However, Laura, who grew up in Hertfordshire, but now lives in Stockport with her boyfriend, fellow double cycling Olympic champion Jason Kenny, 25, said that she has never experienced any inequality on the track.
She said: "I get asked to comment a lot on inequality in cycling, but for me it has never been an issue. Everything has always been equal on the track, and the male and female riders are all part of the same team and we all mix freely."