The quadruple Olympic gold-medallist Chris Hoy has predicted London will have the "best facilities in the world" for more British cycling success at the Velopark in 2012. The Scot - who led the way with three golds in Beijing, where Team GB's cyclists swept all before them - was at the Olympic site in Stratford, East London, yesterday as the plans for the new facilities were officially launched.
A 6,000-seater Velodrome will be the centrepiece of the development, which will also be home to the BMX circuit. After the Games have finished in four years' time, the venue will be linked in to other cycle routes across London to help leave a legacy for the sport - which will include a one-mile road circuit as well as a six-kilometre mountain bike course for riders of all ages and abilities. Hoy, who won gold in Athens and silver at the Sydney Olympics before his Beijing triumphs, has been involved in planning the new venue, giving an expert cyclist's viewpoint.
Hoy, 32, has been impressed by the final designs - which will include a glass concourse around the Velodrome with the track set to be the fastest ever built. "To have been involved in the London Velopark is a great honour for me, and I am incredibly excited after looking at the designs and having now gone to the site itself to get a feel for the place," said Hoy. "This is a golden era for cycling, and we are going to have this facility, which will be a jewel in the crown - the best in the world. I feel very fortunate I am going to ride in it and to be a part of it. Hopefully, we can use the springboard from Beijing to go on to better things."
Hoy feels such facilities will not only stand Team GB - who already have a state-of-the-art facility at Manchester - in good stead to remain at the very pinnacle of the sport, but also help inspire the next generation. He said: "To come back to get a feel of how much interest there is here, it has been overwhelming." * PA Sport