Richard Moore - Boardman looks to Obree for the edge

COULD Graeme Obree be poised to make a surprising return to the fray? On Friday his old rival Chris Boardman made a remark that might have been of the cuff, but which was enough to interest fans of the Flying Scotsman.

Boardman, who traded world titles and records with Obree in the 1990s, was speaking in his current role as head of research and development for British Cycling. His job is to develop the equipment to give the all-conquering British cyclists an even sharper edge, and it was as he outlined the importance of thinking 'outside the box' – he prefers to involve people from aerospace and Formula 1 than cycling – that Obree's name cropped up.

According to the report, Boardman "is thinking of approaching one of the best innovators of all. Obree is on his list to bring back in from the cold once Beijing is done."

"Hmmm," said Obree when Boardman's "thinking" was put to him. "I think Chris was speaking off the cuff, but you never know. I'm out the loop and I've got enough to do at the moment. Would I be interested? Ummm… well, the rules are there to be squeezed to the maximum."

Obree, of course, is arguably one of the greatest innovators sport has ever seen. From the bike he developed for his first world hour record, to his later 'superman' position, his thinking was as original as it was inspired – and ultimately banned. The man from Ayrshire was single-handedly responsible for ensuring that the sport's governing body, the UCI, tightened up the rules on equipment to such an extent that innovation seems these days to be regarded by the governing body as a scourge and a threat.

It is ironic that Boardman, who once struggled to keep up with Obree's developments, and ended up copying some of them, is now the man charged with, as Obree would put it, squeezing the rules to the maximum. He will take a file to Beijing containing images of every piece of equipment being used by the British team, to present as evidence that it is legal when – as he half expects – he is challenged by the officials.

Obree, you suspect, would welcome some involvement. "I'll be sitting by the phone waiting for Chris's call," he jokes. In the meantime he is busy "moving house, writing a training book and a novel."

A novel? "It's not about cycling," he explains, "and I'll be publishing it under a false name."

One thing Obree says he's unlikely to do is return to racing, even though his most recent comeback was last year. The death of Jason MacIntyre in January means another one is not on the cards. "Jason and I had a good rivalry, I enjoyed racing him," says Obree. "Since he died I really haven't felt like racing – I haven't felt the motivation."

And finally . . a heartfelt plea for a jaded support

THE game may have been pretty meaningless and rather dull, but the official programme for Hearts' game against Kilmarnock was certainly an eye-opener.

In his column on the final couple of pages, Mark Donaldson offers his end-of-season assessment of all the SPL clubs, including Hearts, about whom he delivers the following verdict: "Not good enough. Supporters are the lifeblood of a football team. So don't p*ss them off. Don't put out a sub-standard product and expect fans to keep buying it…" Wow. For an organisation to publish this kind of damning indictment of itself could be interpreted as an indication of impressive maturity and self-confidence, or a refreshing laissez-faire approach – certainly one that is at odds with the attitude taken towards the 'Riccarton Three,' when Steven Pressley spoke out against the club and was ostracised.

Or it could just mean that Vladimir Romanov isn't around long enough these days to read to the end of the programme.