Q. Who is Chris Hoy?
A. A pretty normal bloke really.
Q. What's the meaning of life?
A. Hmm.. I suppose it's about treating other people the way you'd like to be treated.
Q. What's your funniest joke?
A. What do you call a pig with three eyes? Answer: A piiig.
Q. What question would you most like answered?
A. The second one above.
Q. What's the best bargain you've ever bought?
A. First bike; it was a fiver. (well, to be honest, my parents bought it).
Q. What makes you smile?
A. When a plan comes together!
Q. With gold medals in cycling at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games, what keeps you motivated?
A. I just love what I do. Not many people have a career that they genuinely enjoy, so I guess I'm pretty lucky in that respect.
Q. You have headphones on just before a race, what do you listen to?
A. Usually loud, fast stuff (The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Pendulum etc) to get myself fired up, but before the Athens Olympics there was so much atmosphere and tension, I actually went the opposite way and listened to Massive Attack's 'Angel' right before I rode to calm me down a little.
Q. When you break out from your dietary regime, what special treats do you like to have?
A. Beer, cheesecake, burgers, chocolate and banoffee pie.
Q. Will you be going for gold at 36 years of age when the Olympics are held in London in 2012?
A. I plan to be. It may sound unfeasible in many sports, but cycling is a low-impact activity (as long as you don't crash) so generally injuries aren't as frequent as a rugby or football player, for example. It really comes down to whether I still have the enjoyment and motivation for it. At the moment there is no sign of that decreasing.
Q. Do you feel cyclists should have a greater say in the running of the sport?
A. Absolutely. At the moment the UCI (Union Cycliste International) seems to make decisions based on the opinions of a small group of people who don't appear to understand the needs of the sport or the wishes of many of the athletes. It's frustrating at times.
Q. What special training have you put in place to help you break the world kilo record in Bolivia in a few weeks time?
A. I will be doing some work at simulated altitude in a laboratory to give my body a chance to experience what it will be like to exercise maximally at 3,400metres altitude. Other than that there is very little difference really, business as usual.
For more information contact:
Donald Parish donald.parish@shinecom.com
Shine Communications Tel: +442071007100
