Sir Chris back in the saddle

Capital cycling star Sir Chris Hoy has shrugged off the effects of a flu bug and will be in the saddle tonight to contest the team sprint at the European Track Championships in Apeldoorn, Holland.

The 35-year-old features in an experienced Great Britain squad for the team sprint, with Jason Kenny – a colleague of Hoy in the Beijing Olympic gold medal-winning trio – and Jason Queally set to complete the line-up.

Queally, who won the Olympic kilometre time trial in Sydney 11 years ago, is now 41 years of age but is bidding for a place at the London Olympic Games next year.

Tonight’s race will be the first outing of the weekend for Hoy, who is also looking to contest the individual sprint tomorrow and the Keirin on Sunday.

He insists he is fully fit after being under the weather for several days and is keen to erase the memory of last year’s championship when he suffered an embarrassing defeat in the individual sprint at the hands of Irish teenager Felix English after an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration.