Refreshed Hoy finally back on his bike

THE longest time he has ever spent off the bike has given Sir Chris Hoy the opportunity to reflect and refocus as he seeks to add to his tally of four Olympic gold medals.

Hoy was denied the chance to defend his sprint and keirin titles at last month's track cycling World Championships in Poland by a hip injury sustained in a heavy crash at the World Cup event in Copenhagen in February.

The 33-year-old is now in the opening revolutions of the pedals in his bid for success at a third successive Olympics, having won the kilometre in Athens and three titles at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing last August.

"It's not what I'd call training, but I'm back on the bike now and it's the first step towards getting better," he explained.

Hoy, who is venturing out on light road rides and riding on static rollers, both with a one-hour time limit added:

"Having that break from the bike has given me time to appreciate the successes of last year and made me realise how much more I want to achieve. I would sacrifice every single gold medal between now and then to win another gold medal in London."