An email conversation with Chris Hoy: 'If it all goes well we may win a load of medals in Beijing'

The track cycling world championships are in Manchester this week, 26-30 March. At last year's world championships in Spain you won two golds in the 1km time trial and the keirin, and a silver in the team sprint. What chance of another hat-trick this time? It's going to be difficult. I'm doing the sprint, not the 1km time trial, and the medal chance is not as good, although not out of the question. The most important thing is to get qualified for the Olympics by doing well in the team sprint. Our chances are solid. I've already qualified for Beijing in the keirin.

You've already won two Olympic medals, gold in the 1km time trial in Athens,and silver in the team sprint in Sydney. Can we expect gold in Beijing, in the keirin and team sprint? The keirin is a very unpredictable discipline, determined by loads of factors and the smallest of details on the day. I did once win 22 races in a row, which led people to say, "It can't be that unpredictable". But that streak was unusual. So while you can't ever really be confident of winning, I'm capable. In the team sprint, assuming qualification, it's more controlled, a good medal chance.

British cycling is in rude health. At last year's world championships, the GB tally of seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes was a country mile ahead of the second-best nation, Australia, with two golds. Can we expect cycling to deliver a deluge of medals at this summer's Olympics? We've got strength across the board, not just on the track, but BMX, road racing. If it all goes to plan we could win a whole load of medals. We'll certainly do the best we can.

One of your fellow stars of the British team is Victoria Pendleton, who won a hat-trick of golds at the 2007 world championships. How good is she? Vicky is an excellent performer. She trains hard, and is very committed to the day-to-day work, which is the sign of a real champion. Controlling her temperament and anxiety is key. In the right frame of mind, no one can touch her.

After your medal successes last year, you were voted Scottish Sportsperson of the Year, for the fourth time in five years. But Pendleton won an unprecedented three world golds and didn't even make the 10-person shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Do you think it's a case of cycling's low profile, a gender issue, or something else? I don't think it's a gender issue. Kelly Holmes has won, and Paula Radcliffe. It's not a sports performance award, it's a popularity contest. Cyclists are not household names. We shouldn't feel hard done by. Live with it. It is a shame the sport doesn't get more recognition but more medals will raise profile. Look at Steve Redgrave. It arguably took Steve five Olympic golds to demand respect for his sport. We do the best we can.

Talking of rowing, you rowed at junior level for Scotland. You also played rugby at a decent level. So why cycling? I felt I had the best chance of achieving things in cycling. I'm really too small for rowing at 6ft 1in. And I was more interested in cycling than rowing. In cycling you have complete control and none of the hassle or dependency of being involved in a crew.

You and other cyclists, Pendleton included, have talked about the importance of psychology. Is what happens between the ears as important as what's in the muscles? You've got to have the engine and physical ability even to get to the start line, but once you're there, psychology is massive. I've seen so many athletes over the years underachieve through being anxious. And that's what makes sport interesting. Otherwise the strongest would always win.

Last year you smashed the world record for the "flying" 500m by more than a second, in Bolivia. What was that trip like? Incredible, unlike anything else. I arrived at the airport, altitude something like 4,000m, and was gasping for air. And though parts of La Paz don't have running water, there's this amazing velodrome in a mountain range. Incongruous. Bizarre. It's an incredible city. It was a privately funded trip, no entourage, but the people were so friendly.

Have you been to Beijing before? For the World Cup, as much on an Olympic recce as to race. It reminded me of Moscow in some ways: vast, overpowering miles of buildings, and millions of people struggling to survive. They'll put on a good show for the Olympics.

What do you listen to on your iPod before races? I tend to have a fairly short playlist. Pre-race I'd tend to listen to the Chemical Brothers, the Prodigy. But before races in Athens, the atmosphere was so hyped, so much noise, I was listening to Massive Attack's "Angel" to stay calm.

Where do you keep your Olympic medals? Usually at the bank. But I needed to take one to a couple of recent events so that's been in my sock draw.

You can host a dinner party for six guests, from any era of history. Who and why? Derren Brown, the hypnotist. I've just read his most recent book and found it fascinating. He'd be good entertainment value. Ricky Gervais. Iain Banks. Colin McRae, because he was a hero of mine but I never got to meet him. Liv Tyler. And Jeremy Clarkson, not because I'm a particular fan, but he'd certainly make it an interesting evening.

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*Born 23 March 1976, Edinburgh

*Sporting life before track cycling Played rugby, competed in BMX and rowed competitively. Won a rowing silver medal for Scotland in the coxless pairs at the junior British Championships in 1993.

*Olympic medals Gold in Athens 2004, 1km time trial; silver in Sydney 2000, team sprint.

*World championship medals Won individual medal and team sprint medal every year since 1999. Total medals for the period 1999-2007: seven golds, four silvers, four bronze.

World records Sea-level world record for 1km time trial, Athens 2004, 1min 0.711sec (also an Olympic record); "flying" 500 metres, 24.758sec, La Paz, Bolivia, May 2007.

Non-cycling honours Awarded MBE in 2005 for services to cycling.