CYCLING’S new golden girl, double world champion Becky James, was back home in Abergavenny on Saturday to inspire the next generation of competitors.

The double gold medal winner, who took the women’s sprint and Keirin titles in Minsk last month, met youngsters at the town’s leisure centre to sign autographs and give them tips on how to succeed in the sport.

But even though weeks have passed since her stunning wins, she admits her achievements are only now starting to sink in.

The 21-year-old said: “I went straight on holiday for two weeks and I thought that would be my time to reflect. I switched off completely and did not think about cycling and it was really nice. It’s slowly sinking in now.”

“[at the time] I was completely gob smacked. I crossed the line and didn’t celebrate straight away, I was thinking did that really happen? It took a lap for it to sink in. I am still enjoying the moment.”

Since returning home the former King Henry VIII School pupil has enjoyed catching up with friends and is getting used to her new found fame, which has seen her recognised in many a glamorous location, such as service stations.

And of course she was pitch side to see boyfriend George North help Wales retain their Six Nations title in a record breaking victory against England at the Millennium Stadium.

This week she is enjoying a much-deserved week off at home with her cycle mad family, including mum Christine and dad David, and competitive cyclist sisters Rachel, 24, Ffion, 15, and Megan, 13.

But she is never far away froma bike and also hopes to fit in some training in the nearby mountains before heading to Majorca next month for an intense tenday training camp.

She will then return to Manchester where she trains, and will get back on the track to ensure she is in peak fitness for major competitions in Europe this summer, before setting her sights on the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year.

But despite her global achievements the modest world champion says she struggles to see herself as a role model, but hopes to inspire more people, especially women, to get on their bikes.

She said: “I’m only 21 still and there’s a lot of people I look up to, I find it crazy that the youngsters look up to me.

“I hope to inspire them to keep on their bikes. I hope to get one million women on their bikes, even if it’s riding with your bikes with your kids – my mum does it. I think its good to do that and hopefully we will get safer roads in the process.”