Cycling: Hoy has 'natural fear' of road training

Helen William,Pa
Tuesday 25 May 2010 15:11 BST
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Sir Chris Hoy today said he has a healthy "natural fear" of training on the roads, particularly since a group of Olympic cycling hopefuls were injured in a car crash this month.

Five women, including riders from British Cycling's Olympic Academy Programme, received hospital treatment after being injured when a car pulled out of a junction during training in Belgium.

The four-time Olympic champion told the Press Association: "It's always in the back of your mind and I think it's quite healthy to have that natural fear, just to be always aware and ride sensibly.

"Whilst you don't necessarily have your destiny in your own hands - you're always at the mercy of other road users - you do have to expect the unexpected.

"It's awful when these bits of news come through - we got information when we were out in Majorca training, the girls having the crash. You just keep your fingers crossed and hope it's not as bad as it first seems.

"It's a hazard of the job and if you work out how many 1000s of hours you spend on the road it's not that dangerous really.

"You try to minimise the risks, you always wear a helmet, you always take care and that's all you can really do."

The riders are recovering but Hannah Mayho, 19, had surgery on her broken left leg and her right arm and wrist were put in a plaster cast.

Lucy Martin, 20, suffered a cracked vertebra while Katie Colclough, 20, suffered concussion. Emma Trott, 20, got a black eye and had her collarbone pinned while Sarah Reynolds, 18, hurt her hand and cut her chin.

Sir Chris was speaking at City Hall where he was promoting London's Sky Ride event on September 5, which attracted some 65,000 people last year.

Streets will be made traffic-free so that cyclists can enjoy a day of bike-based entertainment and explore the capital on two wheels.

Sir Chris said: "I think it's fantastic and I'm convinced it's not just in my head but everywhere I go I seem to see cyclists.

"There's just so many more people riding their bikes than there were 10 or 15 years ago.

"These kind of events - the Sky Ride is the big one in terms of encouraging mass participation and getting people on bikes that maybe wouldn't have the confidence otherwise.

"To have that traffic-free environment to get people into it and hopefully get them back on their bikes and keep it going in future.

"I think it helps when there are people in power that ride bikes too. If you've experienced riding through busy traffic then you do having an understanding of what it's like.

"To increase the number of bike lanes to keep biking in a safer environment is so important.

"I think many more people would ride bikes if they felt they were 100% safe and didn't have that intimidation from the traffic.

"Once you're a bit more experienced you don't really notice it as much, but I think when you first start out you're very aware of it.

"That first hurdle, if you can get over that and gain confidence, then you're okay.

"To have more bike lanes around to give that feeling of security is a massive step. If they do have more bike lanes then I have no doubt many more people would take up cycling."

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