Ahead of what is the inaugural women’s tour of Great Britain (Stage Two of which is co-sponsored by the University, as it finishes at Bedford’s Embankment), Helen was at the University’s elite Sport and Exercise Science Laboratories last week as she hosted a question-and-answer session.

The event attracted a wide range of sports students and academics who were keen to quiz the two-time European and eight-time British national cyclo-cross champion.

Questions posed to Helen, and her manager (and husband) Stefan, included topics such as the psychological pressure on women performing at high levels of sport, race strategy, training regimes, diet and equality in sport.

Helen was also quizzed about doping in the sport and she replied that she believed cycling was now “one of the cleanest”.

“The amount of tests we have to do, combined with the fact that they are open to the public means that there is a great focus on anti-doping,” added Helen, who also (as this week in the Friends Life Women's Tour of Britain) competes in road races.

Helen, who has nearly 7,000 followers on Twitter, also spoke about the pressures outside of performing in sport – looking at social media, financial pressure, and becoming somewhat of a celebrity in Belgium where 75 per cent of the nation tune in to watch cyclo-cross.

Stefan, who runs the Matrix Fitness – Vulpine Women’s Cycling Team, added the tests are the most innovative around and the Lance Armstrong saga has further strengthened the stringent measures which cyclists have to go through.

At the end of Stage One of the Tour, which finished yesterday afternoon, Swede Emma Johannson leads.

Today’s Stage Two starts in Hinkley at 11.15am and will finish in Bedford at approximately 2pm.

The five-day event finishes in Bury St Edmunds on Sunday.

Keep on track with how Helen is doing here www.womenstour.co.uk