Interview with Chris Hoy

Q: Some people think that during a bike race, the crowd is really important. Is that true?

A: Yes it is!

Chris Hoy: The crowd plays a huge part in motivating and supporting the bikers. In Athens in 2004 the only indication I had of how well I was going was the noise from the crowd. At the end of each lap there was a massive roar, and I knew I was up on the leading time.

Q: Is it a good thing that the kilometre time trial has been dropped from the Olympic program?

A: No it’s not!

Chris Hoy: I think dropping the kilometre time trial from the Olympic program is a really bad thing for cycling on the whole. It's a great event to watch, the general public can follow it really easily - and from a personal point of view it's the event which I won gold in, in 2004, so I miss it greatly.

Q: Some people think that champion cyclists never have accidents on or off the velodrome. Is that true?

A: Yes it’s true!

Chris Hoy: You're absolutely right. I've had a number of crashes, on and off the track.

One incident happened a few years ago, right before the Olympics in Athens, when I was knocked off the bike by a police van, of all things. It was a crossroad and it turned right in front of me and I gave him a right earful!

Q: You can get badly injured if you have a nasty crash at the velodrome. Is that true?

A: Yes it’s true!

Chris Hoy: Yes, you're absolutely right! It doesn't happen often, but now and again there could be some pretty nasty crushes at the track.

The most gruesome one I've seen was a crash up in Edinburgh about 10 years ago.

A teammate of mine – Jason Queally – was sliding along the track, on his back, having crashed, and he picked up a piece of wood, that was 18 inches long and an inch wide It went in one side of his back and came out the other. It was pretty horrible to see, and he had to have his back cut open to lift this giant piece of wood.

And he now has a scar on his back looks like a shark attack. But the happy ending of the story was, 4 years later he became Olympic champion!

Q: “It's important to worry about the “what-ifs”, what might happened in a race. That keeps you sharp!”

A: No, that’s rubbish!

Chris Hoy: It's crucial that you don't think about the consequences of what might happen if you fail. You have to focus on the positives, keep your mind on the job and you'll do your very best.

Q: Leg hair – waxing or shaving?

A: Shaving!

Chris Hoy: I'm a big wuss really and I wouldn't fancy the thought of having my legs waxed. I shave my legs primarily for aerodynamics, but also because we get massage and it's not very comfortable to get massage on hairy legs. Another reason is – if you crash it's a lot easier to keep the wounds clean with shaven legs.

Q: Which of these do you think is my favorite film?

A: ‘Chariots of Fire’? No!

Chris Hoy: Sorry, I can't remember watching that. I think I may have seen it as a child, but it's not ringing any bells.

A: ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’? No!

Chris Hoy: Are you having a laugh?

A: ‘Anchorman’? Yes it’s true!

Chris Hoy: You're absolutely right. I'm a huge Will Ferrell fan and I think ‘Anchorman’ is the best thing he's done.

Q: What’s my favorite band?

A: Chris Hoy: The Foo Fighters are my favorite band. Last year in Edinburgh they were playing a concert, and while we were in Starbucks the day before, my girlfriend and I thought we saw Dave Grohl getting a latte. We almost went up to him to say hello until we realized it wasn't him. We left the shop, went across the street and bumped into Dave Grohl, and it was him, and we got his autograph!

Q: Will I win gold in Beijing? (Asked June 08)

A: Chris Hoy: The simple answer is I don't know. I go into races, try to be in the best possible physical and mental shape. And that gives me the best chance to win gold but you can never tell because you don't know how well your rivals are going to go.

Ultimately, what keeps me going is enjoyment. I love riding the bike, I love competition and I even love the training day to day. It's a great lifestyle, but I'm a very competitive person and I'm driven to continue in it. I love the feeling you get when you stand on the podium and you hear the national anthem play.

Q: What’s it like to win a gold medal?

A: Chris Hoy: To win an Olympic gold medal is really the highlight of any athlete's career. In 2004 I won a gold medal in the one kilometre time trial in Athens. Prior to my race, three times the world record has been broken, and I had to step up as the last rider to try and win the Olympic gold. Thankfully I did it and it was the most unbelievable experience of my whole life. The tension, the nerves, the pressure was very hard to describe… When I crossed the line and realized I'd won the gold medal it was a mixture of disbelief, relief and elation. There's so much pressure in the weeks and days belling up to the Olympic games and when you finally realize you've done it, it's just the most amazing feeling. And to step on the podium and to see the gold medal, to hear the national anthem, to see the Union Jack go up, and to have all your family and friends there to support you – it's an incredible experience. And I think that's what drives me on, day-to-day, in training – is trying to achieve that feeling again.

Q: How do I overcome negative thoughts?

A: Chris Hoy: Dealing with mental pressure is a big part of performance at the highest level. In Athens, I had to watch the world record get broken 3 times right before my ride. Steve Peters is the team's sport psychologist and he had advised me to try and displace the negative thoughts and the anxieties I had prior to the race with positive ones. Now, he encouraged me to visualize the race from the start to finish in each segment and try to picture what the perfect race would be for me. So, whenever I was getting anxious or worried right before the race, I'd visualize the race over and over again. When it came to the race itself it went almost identically to the visualizations that I had, and I went on to win the gold medal.