In this video interview, Sir Chris Hoy discusses with Jill Douglas his favourite Olympic moments, how he prepares before a competition and why there’s no place like home.
As well as having the Commonwealth Games velodrome in Glasgow named after him, Highland Spring, Chris’s long time sponsor, has launched a special edition ‘Hoyland Spring’ bottle to celebrate his achievements.
On Tuesday, Sir Chris cycled the first lap of the velodrome named in his honour, ahead of its official opening on Friday but Sir Chris was allowed in early to try out the 250m timber track.
He said: "It's just fantastic. It's amazing to be here to finally see it in the flesh. I've seen lots of pictures of it and I was here a number of years ago when it was just a load of wasteland and to see the scale of it now is fantastic. It's great fun to ride on, very smooth, very quick. So I think there's going to be some great racing here."
The velodrome has a 2,500 capacity which can be extended to 4,000 for major events. It’s the only indoor track in Scotland, something that Sir Chris believes is key to the development of future athletes.
"To have this facility here now in Scotland, it guarantees the future of track cycling for the country because until this point we've only had Meadowbank and Caird Park and they are both outdoor tracks, so as soon as it rains you can't use them.
"But having this velodrome means that we now have a chance to really develop the sport, to host major championships, to train future champions and to let school kids and club-level cyclists come down, try it out and enjoy it.
"It's not just about producing champions, it's about getting more people interested and involved in the sport and enjoying it, and that's what can happen here."
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