Chris Hoy Takes on the Aussies in Perth
18th of February, 2006; By Larry Hickmott
>Home Nations for Commonwealth Games Home Page
In Australia since early January 2006, World, Olympic and Commonwealth Games Champion Chris Hoy is busy preparing to defend to his Commonwealth Games title as the countdown to Melbourne 2006 continues. In an unprecedented move, Chris and his Scottish team-mates will take on their main rivals in a Track Grand Prix in Perth this weekend just four weeks before they meet for real in Melbourne.
This morning (Saturday, 18th of February) I sent out a batch of emails to the riders from the Home nations and to my surprise, within half an hour of them being sent, I had a reply from Chris containing the answers to my mini interview.
With the Commonwealth Games now less than a month away, I asked him what events he expects to be doing to which Chris replied, "I will definitely be riding the Kilo (where he is the defending Commonwealth Games Champion) and Team Sprint. There is also a chance I may ride the Keirin and/or Sprint as well."
Like many of the riders in Australia from the home nations, Chris is part of the squad who have been competing at the very top for a decade, so I asked does he still get nervous when a major competition like this is approaching? "The Commonwealth Games is second only to the Olympics in terms of media exposure and public recognition, so it is important to do well for the promotion of the sport and for yourself. For these reasons, I do feel a sense of anticipation and eagerness to get into competition, but I wouldn't say I'm nervous. You draw from previous experiences to deal with the pressures and hurdles you have to deal with on the final run in to major events."
For the Aussies and other Southern Hemisphere countries, having the Commonwealth Games in March is fine as they will have had a long hot summer to prepare. For the Brits though, trying to train in the cold, ice and snow we have at this time of the year is never easy. So what does Chris find useful being in Australia and is it just the weather?
"The weather is clearly the main reason" Chris replied "but being here early also helps to get over the jetlag. We can also get away from the distractions at home and Australia is an ideal environment as there is no language barrier, the facilities are excellent, there are plenty cafes/restaurants nearby to pass the time in during recovery days and of course there are beautiful beaches. The only problem is that the place is full of Australians! ;-)
Some how, I knew the final bit was coming but then I also know it's Chris second (or is third) home so they can't be too bad!
As for racing, Perth in Australia is also able to provide what they need to put the final touches on their racing preparation. Here in the UK as I get ready to travel to Manchester for the final Revolution meeting, the GB riders have had no shortage of racing to test their form in the run up to the World Championships. Now that Chris and the team are in Australia, they can use similar competitions there as Chris explained.
"I haven't raced since the Manchester World Track Cup, but tomorrow I will be riding the Perth GP, with the Team Sprint our main focus as it's going to be a full dress rehearsal for Melbourne."
My final question of the five was to ask what are the best and worst things about being away from home? In the best category, Chris says 'less phone calls, less requests for appearances and less rain than we get at home' and more sun, more sea, and more time to recover than at home'. As for the worse things about being away, he says 'less personal space (living in close quarters with team mates for 11 weeks!), sleeping in a single bed and being away from girlfriend/family/friends'
Oh well Chris, we'd only get jealous if life was perfect for you all out there! My thanks to Chris and we wish them all a lot of luck this weekend and for the Commonwealth Games. Don't forget you can catch up with how life is treating Chris by going to his website which recently received an accolade from the National Library for Scotland.
LINKS:
Home Nations for Commonwealth Games Home Page
Results of Perth Grand Prix: http://www.cyclingnews.com/
