OLYMPIC gold medal cyclist Nicole Cooke is set to hold a book signing of her ‘grippingly honest’ autobiography in Penarth.

Nicole, who won both Olympic gold and World titles in the same year, will be signing copies of her book The Breakaway at Windsor Bookshop on Saturday, August 2, from 2pm onwards.

Nicole Cooke was one of Britain's most successful cyclists and gained widespread acclaim during her retirement press conference when she spoke out about cheating in cycling.

Frank and honest, Cooke's book reveals the true story of the rise of British cycling, as well as raising important issues about women's sport and how sportswomen are treated.

Nicole was the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance Armstrong and his team-mates.

In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakaway is a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.

Nicole Cooke was born near Swansea in 1983 and became one of the UK's most successful cyclists, winning gold in the 2008 Olympics and then following it up a few weeks later with the World Road Race title. In all she won more than 70 professional titles around the world, including the women's Tour de France twice. She retired from the sport in 2013.

Nicole Cooke will be signing copies of her book The Breakaway at Windsor Bookshop on Saturday, August 2, from 2pm onwards.