GOLDEN girl Shanaze Reade insists she is still a novice despite sensationally becoming world champion in a second sport.

The 18-year-old World Junior Women BMX champion, one of Great Britain's great hopes for next year's Olympic games in Beijing, China, took up track cycling to keep in shape during the BMX off-season.

But she quickly demonstrated amazing ability, and won silver for Great Britain in the UCI Manchester World Track Cup in February - her first ever track competition.

Now the former Victoria School pupil is Women's Team Sprint champion after linking with Victoria Pendleton to take gold at the 2007 UCI World Track Championships at Palma, Mallorca.

But she said: 'I can't express what this means to me. It's just unreal. I still feel like a novice as its only my second race. I haven't been doing it long and am only 18. There is more to come yet!

'When I first got there, I felt sick and dizzy because I was like a novice coming to the Worlds. But for the final, I just felt really relaxed.'

Shanaze took up BMX aged 10 at Crewe's Tipkinder Park and is a former member of the Crewe-based Cheshire Ghostriders.

She teamed up with Pendleton, who went on to claim a personal hat-trick of golds, to clock 33.631secs and beat Holland and Australia into second and third respectively in the Team Sprint, on Thursday.

On Saturday she recorded a superb fifth place in the 500m Time Trial, finishing in 34.633 - only just behind some of the best racers in the world.

In a recent interview, Shanaze told the Chronicle her ultimate goal is to become Olympic champion next year, and in London 2012.

Tipped by the Sunday Times Rich List project to be worth £3m by the year 2020, she said: 'I want to be around for at least three Olympics, and win some gold medals. That is my target.'

A full-time racer thanks to backing from the British Cycling Federation and a range of sponsors, Shanaze is currently based in Leeds to further her training but regularly travels home to see family and friends in Crewe.

She will take part in the BMX World Championships in Victoria, Canada, in July. But a spokesman for the British Cycling Federation hinted she is likely to compete in both disciplines at the Olympics.

He said: 'I think that BMX is first and foremost for her, but I think it is likely she will do both. She is very special indeed.'