Sir Chris Hoy's Olympic dreams of a 'cycling friendly' Britain.

With the Olympics looming ever larger by the minute, and retirement on the horizon after that, it's hard to imagine that Sir Chris Hoy has time for altruistic thoughts of encouraging more British people to get out and enjoy cycling. Yet, in an interview with the Telegraph it's clear that it's a subject close to his heart. 

Hoy speaks of his passionate and enduring love of cycling in all its manifestations, and how he'd love to see some of that enthusiasm flowing through the UK. It's all about getting more people out on bikes enjoying themselves, and making the country more cycle-friendly. 

"We're getting there, definitely. I've seen a big change in the last two decades but there's still a long way to go, obviously. Initiatives like the Sky Ride, getting one million new people on bikes by 2013, are making a big difference."

"You go to Belgium, Holland or germany and cycling is just a part of the culture over there. The cycle paths are everywhere and drivers are aware of cyclists. That's the ultimate dream: that Britain does become a cycling-friendly nation. I'm always banging the drum for it."

"If we can encourage people to get on bikes by winning medals then great, but I also think things like the Sky Ride are just as important. This is a step to getting the government interested, push them to get involved and bring in the legislation to make more bikes paths."

Sir Chris Hoy is currently at large searching for the nation's Perfect Hill as part of this year's Sky Ride.