SCOTTISH Olympic champion Chris Hoy yesterday took time out from preparations for his return to competitive racing at the Milan Six Day event next week to announce a scheme intended to nurture not only his own successors, but perhaps also provide a future team-mate.
While the weeks since his triple gold achievement in Beijing have been occupied by engagements which reflect his heightened profile, such as appearances on the Jonathan Ross Show and at film premieres, the Scot is determined that his success also b
enefits others.
Described as an "ambitious project ... designed to support the development of Great Britain's future Olympians", Hoy yesterday launched his own personal scholarship fund in Scone, and revealed its patron will be former Scotland and British Lions captain Gavin Hastings.
The cyclist hopes it will be the first steps towards the creation of a Chris Hoy Academy, based in either Glasgow or Edinburgh.
The scheme is restricted to young Scottish talent and the funds invested will be used to support two selected riders at the UCI Sprint School in Aigle, Switzerland, alma mater of Olympic sprint champion Victoria Pendleton and Ross Edgar, Hoy's younger team-mate in the Keirin sprint.
The cost of £3,000 per rider per term will be met by Hoy and backers he hopes are attracted by the prospect of investing in the future sporting success of both Scotland and Britain. It might also prove productive in terms of convincing Hoy to keep competing until 2014, when Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games. He is excited by the idea of finishing his career in front of a home support and the thought this might be done in the company of former Chris Hoy Scholarship students only makes it a more attractive target.
"If we could get someone for the Scottish Commonwealth Games in 2014 I would consider hanging on until then," he said. "If we can get a team sprint up for then that would be fantastic.
"The older you get the less you can be sure about things. I am committed to go on to the London Olympic Games, definitely. But you don't know what is going to happen in the future. That would be the ideal scenario – to finish in your home country, in front of your own crowd. You could not get better than that."
Hoy will himself hand-select two riders he feels possess the necessary attributes to make the step up to world class, and will focus on personality and determination as well as talent.
He is alert to the benefits of being able to train alongside other elite athletes given his own scenario. Both Hoy and Craig MacLean were left to motivate each other in circumstances which did not lend themselves to excellence.
That Hoy was able to make the best of his talents reflects his own strength of desire but he hopes this initiative will reduce the odds on Scotland producing other cycling world champions. The age profile of those likely to be considered is 17 and above, with Hoy conscious of the schooling commitments of those younger. The Chris Hoy Scholarship would then apply to what is effectively a Swiss finishing school for cyclists on their behalf.
"We have plenty of talent – that's not the problem," the 32-year-old said. "It is really about trying to nurture the talent. This will be a way to encourage them.
"There is great support within the British set-up but at the moment we (Scotland] are lacking an indoor velodrome. It's not that the coaches are lacking – we are just lacking a group of sprinters. It is important to have that competition during training, and to have a dozen other athletes of the same age, at the same level, pushing you on. That is the critical thing.
"I would have loved to have had this opportunity. In the early days it was just myself and Craig MacLean training together, and we did not have any backing or support. It took us many years to get up to international level because we were scrabbling around to get information on coaching and how to train, so this really speeds the process up."
Hoy pointed out that the scholarship has broader aims than simply developing elite riders. There is also an awareness of the need to help someone exist in an environment where travel and self-sufficiency are unavoidable demands.
"It's not just about racing and riding a bike," said Hoy. "You learn the skills you need to be a professional cyclist, but in addition you also have French lessons, IT lessons, and all kinds of academic things go on in the background. Even basic things such as learning to cook for yourself. You are amongst other athletes of a similar age. Most of them will be at a higher level so it offers something to aspire to."
Hoy wants to ensure that the rewards from his own career will help nourish the hopes of others. He is confident Scotland can provide those able to take advantage of the opportunity.
"There are records being broken at junior and youth level, with minimal exposure to track time in Manchester or Meadowbank," he pointed out. "Having access to the right facilities and the right support, there is no limit to how far you can progress."
