Sky Academy Sports Scholarships: Sir Chris Hoy praises the commitment of young athletes

It has been quite a few weeks for Sir Chris Hoy, and when you consider that he is Britain’s most decorated Olympian that is saying something.

The former track cycling superstar has been awarded a lifetime achievement award at the age of just 38, had his participation in next year’s European Le Mans Series confirmed and most importantly he has been able to take his two-month old baby, Callum, home from hospital for the first time since his premature birth in October.

Yet despite all of that, Hoy was still able to find time to attend a Sky Academy Sports Scholarships event at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester and the Scot believes the programme can only benefit the young athletes involved.

“I think it is great for the athletes to meet other athletes in a similar position to them in different sports,” he told Sky Sports.

“You can learn so much, not technical things in your own sport, but how people prepare for their events, how they train, their concerns, their worries, their injury problems – all the things that are similar in different sports.

“You can learn a huge amount from your peers but hopefully, as well, just trying something new, having a go at something else, giving you a break from your routine and I’d like to think that hopefully that I can give a little bit of information or help or a bit of experience that I can pass on to them.

“Really I think it is just about them trying to soak up as much information as possible and asking as many questions as possible. Aside from anything else it can be quite good fun to break from your routine every once in a while and give yourself a change of a training session.”

Hoy spent some time with the Scholars on the track and, alongside GB coach Jan Van Eijden, provided guidance and a number of tips that saw the athletes make significant improvements in a very short space of time. So did any of them miss their calling as a cyclist?

Attitude, approach and commitment

“Well the thing is, I believe in sport that so much of it is down to your attitude, your approach and your commitment,” Hoy said. “You don’t get to almost the top of your sport, as these guys are at the moment and rising, without that attitude.

“In that respect, as long as you are within the right physical parameters and dimensions required then they could turn their hands to whatever they wanted. You can see that they have that physical potential and the mental approach is right.

You can learn so much (about) how people prepare for their events, how they train, their concerns, their worries, their injury problems

“Obviously you’ve got Lucy Garner, who is already a cyclist and she knows her stuff, but I’m sure that any of the guys here could make a go of track cycling if they wanted to.”

It is that attitude and commitment that enabled Hoy to enjoy so much success during his career, with numerous sacrifices made – not least over the Christmas period. Now, however, while the Scholars must keep an eye on what they eat and at least keep themselves ticking over with training, Hoy is able to relax.

“It’ll be an interesting Christmas because it’ll be my first Christmas with Callum at home,” he added. “It’ll be Sarra and Callum and me, just a quiet one with the three of us then hopefully the full family one next year when he’s bigger and stronger.

“Normally, for me, Christmas would be a day where I would go out and do a road ride. Not because I felt that I had to do it – often it was just to get out of doing any help around the house and doing any preparation for the meal! – but just to feel that you are doing a little bit.

"Not so much that I’m training when my rivals aren’t because some athletes do but more, just because I wanted to keep that routine going and not break too much.

“If you stop too much then it can be hard to get back into it again. Christmas is hopefully a bit more relaxed. It’s not even just Christmas, it’s all the time that you’re competing, whether you are aware of it or not, this subconscious thought about performance with everything that you do.

“Before you do it, you question it: 'Is this going to help me? If not, should I be doing it?' If it’s involving going out and about, wandering round the shops or eating stuff that you shouldn’t be eating, the answer was always no. So now I don’t have to worry about that, it’s quite nice to be able to relax a bit.”