"If I could give a message to those who play the lottery it would be thank you. It has had such a massive impact for British Cycling and for me - hopefully they can see results when the medals come in."

A Scottish cyclist who rode his way into Olympic history having first been inspired to climb onto a bike when he was six because of an extra-terrestrial.

Watching the blockbuster movie ET in 1982, and the scenes where the youngsters in the film make their escape on bikes, was the moment a superstar was born.

It is now Sir Chris Hoy after three gold medals in Beijing where he became the first Briton to win three gold medals at one Games since 1908 and the most successful Olympic male cyclist of all time.

Having won silver as part of the Team Sprint in Sydney in 2000, he achieved his first Olympic gold in the 1km track time trial in Athens in 2004 before his triple glory in the Team Sprint, Keirin and Sprint in Beijing.

A hip injury forced him to miss last year's World Championships but at the British National Championships he won gold in the Keirin, Sprint and Team Sprint.