Sir Chris Hoy: You will never unlock your potential in cycling unless you invest in it... so Northern Ireland definitely needs a velodrome

Hoy’s views will strike a chord with thousands of cycling fans across the country who were dismayed in 2011 when government plans to deliver a £27m velodrome in Downpatrick were controversially shelved due to budget issues.

Since then there have been calls from the cycling fraternity for the NI Executive to invest in an indoor velodrome on the back of Northern Ireland’s success in staging the opening three days of the 2014 Giro d’Italia, and to give young riders the facilities to try and emulate the achievements of World Track champions Martyn Irvine and Wendy Houvenaghel, who was also an Olympic silver medallist.

Supporters of the idea also point to cycling being one of the most popular participation sports in Northern Ireland.

Six-time Olympic gold medallist and multiple world and Commonwealth Games champion Hoy may be from Scotland but he is well-versed on the history of cycling in Northern Ireland and is a true believer in how a top-class facility could inspire the nation’s cyclists.

Motivated to ride a bike at the age of six after watching the famous BMX scenes in ET, Hoy regularly used the outdoor velodrome in his home city of Edinburgh as a boy before going on to become one of the sport’s greatest-ever competitors. Now there is a multi-million-pound velodrome in Glasgow named after him.

Asked on how important a velodrome would be for Northern Ireland, Hoy told the Belfast Telegraph: “The bottom line is without the facility, you’ll never know the potential that you have for that sport unless you invest in it.

“If it hadn’t been for the velodrome in Edinburgh, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try track cycling and I wouldn’t have known that I enjoyed it.

“For me, there were lots of sliding doors moments, but one of the biggest was having a facility in my home city to be able to have a go and see that it was fun.

“In Northern Ireland there’s been some incredible riders like Wendy Houvenaghel, who was a team-mate of mine with Team GB for many years.

“She was a machine with an incredible engine and brilliant in Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit and Road Time Trialling, and a world champion and Olympic medallist.

“Wendy must have inspired a lot of cyclists in Northern Ireland seeing how well she was performing and believing that they could do the same.

“With Northern Ireland on the road you’ve got the Tour of the North and great history in road cycling, but without the facility you’ll never know the potential you have as a nation.”

The Republic of Ireland government is committed to a new velodrome, but across the border no such promises have been made.

Over a decade ago, a velodrome was supposed to be a part of the Northern Ireland legacy from the London 2012 Olympics. Other sports hit were sailing, athletics, basketball and tennis.

Sports minister at the time Nelson McCausland claimed that government budget cuts meant there was no longer money for the projects, adding that none of them had yet produced a “satisfactory business case”.

In yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph, the chef de mission for the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team, Alison Moffitt-Robinson, stated that the country should aspire to host the Commonwealth Games in the ‘long-term future’ if there is ‘significant investment in facility infrastructure’ – making the point that there is no velodrome here.

Hoy appreciates such a facility would cost millions but insists experience elsewhere suggests long-term benefits.

In an interview to promote National Lottery funding for sports stars, he said: “It does take a big commitment and a lot of money but look at what happened in Manchester. They built a velodrome and used it for the (2002) Commonwealth Games and then after that there was talk that it would be a white elephant, but that’s not been the case.

“It is shut down for refurbishment at the moment but normally from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week it is booked out with school groups, Masters riders, the national team, corporate groups and charity sessions. A full spectrum of ages and abilities use it and it’s not just an elite sports facility. It’s for everybody.”

A superstar on the track, Hoy is just as impressive off it, admitting that he is an evangelist for his sport.

“The UK has become a cycling nation,” he said. He is humble when it is suggested that he has inspired many men, women and children to get on a bike.

An avid watcher of the Commonwealth Games as a child when he cheered on the Scots in everything from athletics to bowls, he is savouring the upcoming multi-sports event in Birmingham, wishing experienced cyclist Lydia Boylan and the rest of the Team NI riders well.

Hoy’s heroes growing up were Gavin Hastings and Graeme Obree, compatriots who excelled at rugby and cycling. He also admires our own Mary Peters and says he still has to pinch himself that they have become friends through sport.

If Peters is Northern Ireland’s Golden Girl, then Hoy can justifiably be classed as Scotland’s Golden Boy.

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