The best fiver my dad ever spent

Chris Hoy's dad bought him his first bicycle from a jumble sale for £5 when he was just four years old. And while he broke it after just one week, the 28 year old pride of Scotland has been blazing a glorious trail ever since - highlighted by his gold medal in the 1K race at last year's Athens Olympics.

World beater Hoy remembers only too well, however, the day dad David presented him with his first set of wheels which were to pave the way for an amazing sporting career.

Hoy - speaking at the Marshalls Pasta Cycling for All open day in Edinburgh which he praised as an exciting and invaluable innovation - revealed "I got my first bike when my dad paid a fiver for it a a jumble sale."
"It was an old thing but my dad stripped it down, re-sprayed it black, put on some big handlebars and badged it up with BMX stickers. It looked great and I was well impressed.

"I took it down to the local BMX track and within a week had snapped the frame from jumping because it wasn't meant to be bashed about.

"I think my dad realized then he would have to get me a bike that would stand up to the abuse it was going to get.

"I first got into cycling through BMX when I was seven. I started racing then and went to the local track at Danderhall in Midlothian.

"Before long I started racing all over Scotland then England - I even got to race in Europe and in the US by the time I was 13.

"The bottom line is that I really enjoyed it. It's not as if I had pushy parents and was forced to do stuff against my will.

"I was just so passionate about it - the speed, the excitement, the exercise and the competition as well because I'm quite a competitive person".

The rest is history of course. Olympic gold, Olympic silver, Olympic record, four World Championship golds, two World silvers, three World bronzes, Commonwealth gold and bronze, Commonwealth Games kilo record, 13 World Cup golds, seven World Cup silver, two World Cup bronze European Champion. As you can gather Chris is no mere ordinary mortal. Last month's announcement however that the kilo event has been axed from the next Olympics in Beijing has left him in a state of Shock. He added, "I was aware one event from the men's and women's cycling would have to make way for BMX but never really thought the kilo would be at risk - it's been part of the Games since day one.

"Along with the sprint and pursuit it's the backbone of any track championship. "To have the Olympics without the kilo is like track and field athletics without the 100m".

Chris however is hoping London's successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympics will boost the prospects of having the hugely controversial decision overturned.

He said "I think until the bid was announced people wanted to hold back in case they rocked the boat a bit. But hopefully we are going to get some influential support. When I first heard the kilo had been axed from Beijing I was pretty pessimistic

"I did not necessarily think anything would change but now, having seen the public support - not just in Britain but throughout the world - you never know."

"It's not just about me, however, it's about the event. There are kids who have been training for years and this is their lifelong ambition to compete in the Olympic Games.

"It would be a crying shame if they were going to be denied this opportunity". While Chris has seen and done it all he's the first to admit it has not been easy and he has often had to push himself to the very limits of endurance. He added, "I have always enjoyed sport and have always been competitive - but I've not necessarily been the very best. "I've quite often been number two, in fact I was number two in Britain for four or five years in a row, always beaten by the same guy.

"All the way through my life - in rugby, athletics, cycling, all different kinds of sports - there have always been people better than me.

"So maybe it's the determination I've had, to keep pushing myself to be the best I can that has driven me on.

"When I was young, I never thought I was going to be an Olympic champion.

"It's a pipe dream and it feels surreal when you are standing on the podium with a gold medal round your neck and realize you've done it.
"It was the same when I won gold at the Commonwealth Games. When you hear Scotland the Brave the hairs stand up on your arms.

"In whatever country I hear the bagpipes it makes be feel all tingly." While he's now a legend, Chris has always been happy to put back what he can into the sport, encouraging youngsters to help make their dreams come true. During a visit to the Marshalls Pasta Cycling for All event at the Velodrome in Edinburgh he talked to kids for more than an hour about this career, answering a whole range of questions. Chris said,

"It brings me massive satisfaction to give anything I can to inspire youngsters in the way my fellow Scot, Graham Obree and Chris Boardman inspired me.

"That's why it's so good for companies such as Marshalls Pasta doing their bit for the sport. "They promote healthy food, healthy eating and this is vital for any young aspiring athlete. It's like a car - put in the wrong fuel and it won't work.
Peter Barry, Managing Director at Marshalls Pasta said, "We at Marshalls are delighted to be associated with this latest Sports Bursary Initiative in association with The Daily Record.

"At Marshalls, we thought cycling was the perfect platform to communicate our healthy eating message while appealing to a broad section of Scottish families.

"Race cyclists eat pasta aplenty to provide endurance and energy for their sport so it's appropriate the leading brand of pasta in Scotland is supporting a number of Scottish cycling events over the summer.