CHRIS HOY

Craig Maclean, Chris Hoy and Jason Queally
©ALLSPORT

WEEK 5
Date: August 28

Four years judged in 18 seconds

It's always the same at this stage in the build-up prior to a major championship.

There seems to be a lot of time to sit around and think about what the next couple of weeks might hold in store for you. It's difficult to stop yourself daydreaming sometimes, especially since the volume of training decreases in the final "taper" phase and therefore there is an abundance of time to contemplate your future.

I quite often think about how my ride at the Olympics will go, running through in my mind the "perfect ride"; and how it will actually feel to perform it.

I find this type of mental rehearsal really helps me to prepare psychologically for a major event, positively reinforcing the outcome in my mind. It is so important in explosive sprint events to prepare mentally, allowing greater focus to be achieved on competition day.

When people find out that the team event in which I am participating at the Games takes around 45 seconds to complete, and that my total contribution lasts a mere 18 seconds, the question that most people then ask, (other than "..so you don't do that Tour de France thing?") is "what on earth goes through your mind in such a short space of time?".

The truth is that nothing consciously goes through my mind. If I am focussed on the task in hand, then all the noise from the crowd and the pressure of expectation are lost in a trance-like state.

It can be daunting sometimes to think about how all the effort that I have put into the last four years will be judged purely on the basis of how well I perform in the space of 18 seconds, but that's what makes the Olympics so special.

While the competition itself will be the main focus of the Games, I am determined that regardless of the outcome, I will enjoy the whole Olympic experience and relish just being part of it.

The media build up over here is already in full swing and there is a real feeling of anticipation in Australia at the moment. The passion that the country as a whole has for sport is incredible. I have a feeling that these Games will be spectacular.

We arrived in Melbourne today after a short two-hour flight from Brisbane. The weather on arrival was a real change from what we had become accustomed to over the last fortnight.

It was a really dour afternoon; 13 degrees and pouring with rain, it felt like I had returned home to Edinburgh! Still, we will be training indoors here on a track very similar to Sydney, so it can rain all it likes. Shame about my suntan though...

In general things have perked up a lot after last week (see Diary week 4), and particularly after a great final training session in Brisbane, we seem to be back on track (excuse the pun). Jason in particular is starting to show some form, which is very encouraging indeed. I'll say no more in case I jinx him!

Next week will be the final instalment of my Olympic diary for The Times online, and I'll give you the low down on the final countdown to competition.

Read Chris's diary for WEEK 1 ...

Read Chris's diary for WEEK 2 ...

Read Chris's diary for WEEK 3 ...

Read Chris's diary for WEEK 4 ...