Why cycling is the perfect fix for body and mind, according to Sir Chris Hoy

It’s the sort of wet, chilly morning to make even a six-time Olympic gold medallist consider pulling the duvet back over his head. Over an illustrious career, track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy has done more than his share of gruelling early starts and punishing training sessions in the cold and the rain. But, although it’s hardly the best day to extol the joys of cycling, Sir Chris arrives bang on time, soaked to the bone and with a big smile on his face.

His plan is to take me around the country roads of Alderley Edge, the Cheshire village that is nowadays known as much for its population of star cyclists as Premier League ­footballers. So much so that, as we’re preparing to set off, team pursuit world champion Kian Emadi cycles by. “Laura Kenny will be along in a moment,” he half-jokes.

Thanks to the inspirational efforts of Sir Chris and Kenny – and Wiggins, Froome, Thomas, Pendleton, Storey, Rowsell and the rest – it’s well documented that cycling has boomed in the UK in the past decade, with more and more Britons bitten by the bike bug. Yet, while 42 per cent of people over the age of five own a bike, according to Cycling UK, only 17 per cent of the adult population in England cycles more than once a month. Two thirds of the British population cycles less than once a year, while men make three times as many bike journeys as women.

Despite all the positive messages about the health benefits of cycling, and with Ride to Work schemes and dedicated bike lanes making it easier for anyone to get involved, many people still seem to be put off. Is it the idea that you need to have thighs of steel (as Sir Chris still does) and expensive kit?

“Not at all,” says Sir Chris, who spends much of his time nowadays championing the message that cycling is for ­absolutely everyone.

“It isn’t all Lycra and carbon bikes,” he says. “In France it’s more a way of life where you can be on a sit-up-and-beg with a basket on the front and go off to do the shopping. It would be lovely if we could change our ­relationship with bikes in general in this country and make them part of the culture, from grandparents to children, no matter what age or level of fitness.”

To that end, he has written a book, How to Ride a Bike, to encourage as many people as possible to get riding. A heftier tome than his popular ­Flying Fergus children’s books, it brings together all his accumulated knowledge on everything from buying a bike and the optimum set-up to ­nutrition, road safety, fitness ­programmes and detailed training plans. It’s aimed at everyone from total beginners to serious racers.

“The experienced cyclist would probably skip the first chapter,” admits the 42-year-old. “But then there’s lots of info in there that I haven’t talked about before; training techniques and tips for structuring your programme, which will be useful if you’re trying to take cycling beyond a hobby, to being competitive.”

How to improve my anaerobic threshold power isn’t something I’ve yet considered. So while I’ve turned up with my own bike, I’m still very much a rank amateur. Three months ago the only bike I owned was a rusting “old-lady” bike. Like many people, I had ­always found the idea of road cycling intimidating, especially with all those serious-looking, streamlined men in skin-tight jerseys, jostling for position at the traffic lights. But, after agreeing to take part in RideLondon-Surrey 100, I upgraded my wheels and spent six weeks ­training for the annual sportive, eventually joining 25,000 other amateurs on the 100-mile (and in my case, seven-hour) ride from London to the Surrey Hills and back.

Now, a month later, when I meet Sir Chris, I haven’t “clipped in” (attaching the cleats on the soles of my cycling shoes to special clip-in pedals) since. And I’m dreading it. Toppling sideways in front of an Olympian is a distinct possibility.

Sir Chris, though, a true knight in damp Lycra armour, lets me lean on him as I clamber aboard. “Point your toe down and give it a wiggle,” he says. And with the sun beginning to burn through the clouds, we head out on a 10-mile ride. This is exactly the sort of ride Sir Chris would have used to “turn his legs over”, and flush out all the toxins after heavy training. Track cycling was the last form of cycling he came to after competing in everything from ­mountain biking to BMX.

“It took me a long time to get half ­decent at it,” he explains. “You can’t expect the fast times to come overnight. For me, hard work and commitment trumps talent 99 times out of 100.”

To my untrained eye, cycling is a sport where technique is fairly ­restricted, but Sir Chris is quick to tell me that “there are lots of subtle things you can change” to get better at it. Pedal ­efficiency is one of the quickest ways to gain an advantage, he says – knowing how and when to push down.

“In 10 years time, my fitness level might be dropping off,” he says, “but because I’ve got that pedalling ­efficiency I’ll still be able to keep up with someone who is much fitter and younger, but newer to the sport.”

His theory is that if you can ­fast-track the learning process, you can improve performance in a short amount of time. “You also won’t feel quite as ­exhausted,” he says, as a I huff and puff alongside him. If you’re cycling with more experienced riders, he offers a more tactical tip. “Keep them talking, so you’re not the one getting out of breath,” he says. This I immediately put into practice, and heave out another question.

How important is fitness to improving your cycling? “Traditionally ­cyclists would say you don’t need to do strength training. But look at Geraint Thomas and the Tour de France riders – they are doing a lot of strength ­training now. It’s not about how much weight you can squat, though, it’s about realising your body is connected, from your hands to your feet, and that everything you’re doing has a knock-on effect on another part of the body.” To that end, he is an advocate of yoga and Pilates, and there are sections on both in the book.

I do a lot of yoga but, after a series of hills, I’m still feeling the strain. Then comes the reward of the giddy downhill, with Sir Chris flying out ahead. At the bottom we stop at a junction. I’m still in my highest gear and set to go nowhere fast.

Sir Chris puts his hand on my back and gives me a push start, like a parent teaching a toddler how to ride – it would be mortifying, if he wasn’t so lovely about it.

His three-year-old son Callum is learning to cycle, he tells me, and has just graduated from a balance bike to a push bike with the pedals taken off. Fatherhood has been the biggest change in Sir Chris’s life since retiring in 2013, with one-year-old Chloe also on the scene. Life in general is more balanced now, with more variety. “Before it was a conveyor belt of train, rest, eat, train, rest, eat and eventually a race. Everything you do centres around yourself, which can be a bit unhealthy.”

Having taken on the Le Mans ­24-Hour motor race, produced children’s books and launched his own bike range, Sir Chris is now fundraising for his next big challenge, cycling nearly 400 miles from the edge of Antarctica to the pole – his aim is to beat the current record of 10 and a half days. “It’s going to be tough, there’s very little oxygen – and it’s quite cold,” he deadpans.

We don’t all have to aim that high with our cycling, he admits. But even if we don’t have our sights set on world records, setting achievable goals is the key to improvement.

“Write down what it is that you want to achieve and then break it down with manageable stepping stones. If it’s a 100-mile ride, start with 10 and go from there.”

Most importantly, enjoy it. “Cycling’s not a fad. It’s more than a race in France or an Olympics every four years. It’s a mode of transport and a way of life. I just want to help people to reach their next level and get more from their bike.”

How to Ride a Bike by Sir Chris Hoy (Octopus) is available for £20 plus p&p from books.telegraph.co.uk

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