SHE is one of the most decorated Paralympians of all time but cyclist Sarah Storey took time out of her hectic training schedule to celebrate the sporting achievements of pupils at Priestley College.

Sarah, who has won 11 gold medals during her cycling and swimming career, hosted two seminars with the college students who were bursting with questions for the Paralympian.

The 35-year old from Cheshire said: “The students have been fantastic. They were articulate and well read on the subject they are studying so it made for a great discussion.”

Sarah, who now goes by the name of Dame Sarah Storey after her appointment on the New Year Honours List in 2012, still can’t believe the success she has endured - in particular the London Paralympics.

The students watched a montage highlighting the cyclist’s achievements during the sporting competition last summer and, almost a year on, Sarah still has to pinch herself.

The cyclist, who hopes to compete in the next Paralympics in Rio, said: “It’s very surreal. It doesn’t matter how many times I see that video it is like wow - everything went to plan.

“It is incredible to look back at how it went and share that experience with other people.”

Sarah is also about to take on a new challenge - motherhood - and, at eight months pregnant, you would be forgiven for thinking Sarah was putting her feet up and taking a well-deserved rest but your presumption could not be further from the truth.

Sarah, who has still been training during her pregnancy, said: “I think one of the common misconceptions about pregnancy is that it is an illness. It’s something the body was designed to do so, with a few tweaks to training, you can carry on.

“I have reduced the hours and intensity but I am still pedalling away.”

 Advice from a sports superstar

Calling all Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls. Sarah has shared her top tips for first-time competitive cyclists with the Warrington Guardian.

To start your journey to Olympic glory, you will need to be able to: Know how to react to a pothole so you won’t crash.

Know the pressure you need in your tyres depending on the weather.

Be fit and strong.

After that, you just need confidence and you will go far.

The gold medallist said :”The Skills within cycling are paramount to succeeding so never neglect the skills aspect of the sport.”