Chris Hoy – A Season of Two halves
Story posted July 30; by Larry Hickmott
Chris Hoy joins a group of young riders during the opening ceremony of the new track at the National Cycling Centre.
One of the World’s very best track cyclists, ever, double World Champion in 2007, Olympic champion from Athens 2004 and now a World Record holder (500 metres), Chris Hoy, was on hand to lend his support to the opening of the track.
Talking about the days when Manchester opened in the early 90’s, Chris explained “Manchester was the first British indoor Olympic standard facility and that was a massive step forward for British cycling because until that point you would train from April to October and then find the outdoor tracks were shut until the following April. So you would make steps forward in training and then have to start again from scratch”.
“At that time there was no way we could compete with the rest of the World as there was no funding in place for us to travel around the World to train so we were stuck with having to train in the wet on the road. In 1994, when this place opened, I was in my last year as a Junior and it gave me the chance to make a go of cycling. Without doubt, if it wasn’t for this place, I wouldn’t be Olympic Champion, Jason (Queally) would not have been Olympic Champion and there are a number of other people who would not have had the success they have now.”
“Manchester is also a great competition venue and famous for the atmosphere the crowd here generate. The people who come here tend to be quite knowledgeable about it and appreciate good racing when they see it and to have a home venue for World Cups and World Championships is a huge advantage. So not only is it a great place to train but also a great place to race”
Asked what the difference is between the old track and the new one, Chris explained “the old track because of the fact this is the busiest track in the track has suffered a lot of wear and tear having had about 30 years use in the last 14. So the old boards have suffered a lot with riders falling off on them and the sheer volume of people riding over them. As the wood ages, it splinters and is more slippery whilst this new track the boards are very smooth as there is no difference in height between the boards.”
“Its cleaner, grippy and pleasant to ride on as well. It is quieter as well as the old track used to make a lot of noise creaking as you rode over the boards.”
Moving on from talking about the track to Chris Hoy the rider and his coming year, the Kilometre and Keirin World Champion explained “its an exciting 12 months coming up. I am seeing the coming seasons in two distinct parts, the World Championships in March and then the five months until the Olympics after that. I am breaking it down into to two cycles because there is a risk of getting caught up in the Olympics and getting so enthusiastic about it, you do too much too soon.”
“So whilst not trying to get caught up in Olympic fever now, I am training hard and have a plan I am sticking to. I don’t want to get into going too fast too soon but having said that I will be looking to be going well for November/December when we do the Sydney and Beijing UCI World Track Cups. By then I would like to see some form and hopefully get a marker as to where I am in relation to my rivals”.
“It’s also going to be a year of getting in some race practice for the Keirin and Sprint so I have a bit more in my armoury and not just have the one plan of going flat out from the front. I want to have a few tricks up my sleeve so it will be a long year ahead but an exciting one.”
Asked whether having won the World Keirin title there is less disappointment in the axing of the Kilometre from the Olympics for which he is the reigning Olympic Champion, Chris says “it is a really exciting time and I know I would not have taken up the Keirin or the Sprint had the Kilo not been axed. So there could be a silver lining to the cloud in that yes the Kilo has gone but then I’m fortunate that I have found an event which I still class myself a novice at even though I am World Champion.”
“Whilst it is not as controllable as the Kilo where if you go into the Olympics as World Champion, you’d expect to at least get a medal but for the Keirin, even if you are World Champion, you might not even make the final so it is far more unpredictable. But it is an event I enjoy and one I hope to make further improvements in.”
Finally, we asked how is his form and motivation after such a hard period as it was leading up to the World Track Championships in March and then the World Record attempt in South America in May. “It was a big season on whole with new events and a new approach and then on the back of that having the World record attempt.”
“The World record attempt was unique and nothing like anything else I have ever done and will do again. I enjoyed it, and even though it didn’t quite work out as I hoped, I still came back with a World record so had something to show for it. I feel fine and refreshed and ready to get back into it. The plan was to have a break and to get back on the bike when I wanted to and that is what has happened. I am actually eager to get back into training and its worked out well with the track being out of action being resurfaced.”
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