London 2012 blog

Well, it's been an exciting week for me; it was announced that I am to be part of the 'Design Jury' to decide the winning blueprint for the London 2012 Velopark, alongside such esteemed names such as Sir Nicholas Serota, Sunand Prasad (President Elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects) and Kathryn Moore (Past President of the Landscape Institute).

It's a huge honour and quite a responsibility too, but I'm really looking forward to being a small part of something that I'm sure will have a massive impact on cycling in this country.

In addition to this I've been knuckling down to some serious training for my attempt on the World 1000 metre record which will take place on 12 May in La Paz, Bolivia.

Reduced air resistance is the key to this track being so exceptionally fast (the current record was set there in 2001 by Arnaud Tournant and stands at 58.875secs) as the city sits 12,000 feet above sea level!

It will be a tough challenge to break the record as this location really is the only place on earth where it's feasible to go fast enough.

Unfortunately, whilst the thin air is an advantage in terms of speed, the lack of oxygen isn't exactly desirable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, not just to break the previous record, but also to make it back in one piece!

The lack of oxygen is a potential health risk when exercising maximally at such high altitudes, but I'm confident that the Doctor travelling with me knows what he's doing.

Apparently, he is bringing a 'body bag' which can be connected to an oxygen source so that if I'm in a bad way following the ride, I can get inside it, get zipped up and effectively be 'brought back to sea-level' in a matter of seconds. Sounds pretty scary to me.

After Bolivia I'll be having a spot of R&R following a hectic season, giving myself a chance to recharge my batteries ready for the start of my Olympic campaign in Beijing. Time's flying by; it seems like Athens was only yesterday!