London celebrates two-year Olympic countdown

Sir Chris Hoy imagined himself doing a lap of honour at the London 2012 Games today as he went for a ride for the first time at the Olympic velodrome.

Watched by a crew of cheering builders who had stopped work to look, the four-time Olympic cycle champion did circuits of a mocked-up 75m track inside the part-built venue.

Sir Chris, 33, at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, exactly two years before the Games start, said: "Just walking in here you get the feeling that this is an Olympic venue.

"This is where it is going to take place and hopefully where I will win one more Olympic gold medal.

"Just looking up at the stand and even the cheers from the construction workers, you can feel what it will be like when it is full to the rafters and being in an Olympic final.

"You can really sense it is getting more enthusiastic - two years to go, I really cannot wait."