Chris Hoy on Commonwealth Games memories, Richard Moore's legacy and why Edinburgh needs a velodrome

The new marker for ageing isn’t policemen looking younger. It’s realising Sir Chris Hoy has been retired for nearly ten years. How on earth did that happen?

It will be a decade next April since he called a press conference at Murrayfield stadium to draw a line under a glorious career after six Olympic gold medals, two Commonwealth Games golds, 11 track world titles while not forgetting the knighthood and multiple other awards. He’s since occupied himself in a variety of ways, including writing Flying Fergus children’s books and competing at Le Mans.

“I am just glad I am still busy ten years on and that people are still interested in hearing me prattle on about riding a bike 20 years ago,” he says. “It is lovely there is still a connection to the sport and I’m still involved. I can still feel part of the cycling community and I can see it thriving.”

Far from prattling on, as he self-deprecatingly describes it, he will be providing expertise during television coverage of the XXII Commonwealth Games, which begin in Birmingham on Thursday. Hoy has high hopes for the current generation of Scottish cyclists.

He is cheered to see so many talented riders “who are capable of winning medals” taking over the mantle from him and his peers. Hoy mentions Jack Carlin, Neah Evans, John Archibald and Neil Fachie, the para-cycling phenomenon from Aberdeen who is preparing to compete at his fourth Commonwealth Games.

“It is worth talking about him,” says Hoy. “Scotland’s greatest or certainly most successful Commonwealth Games athlete, he gets a passing mention in most places.

“He is with (pilot) Lewis Stewart on the tandem. Again he is one of these amazing athletes who gets on with his job and doesn’t make a big fuss out of it.”

Hoy’s