The 36-year-old cyclist from Edinburgh, who has a total of six Olympic gold medals after claiming two stunning victories at London 2012 this summer, was making his first official visit to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome ahead of its opening this Friday (October 5).

Construction on the velodrome, which was designed by leading architect Ralf Schüermann, began in January 2010 and with work now complete, Sir Chris (pictured top) was given the honour of being the first cyclist to ride around the facility.

"It was a very special feeling to ride the track for the first time today," said Sir Chris, who is set to retire after competing in the venue at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

"To have this velodrome named after me is a huge honour and something that I am very proud of.

"I have been fortunate to ride in the world's best velodromes and I can tell that this venue is going to be very special.

"It has a fantastic design and feels like it's going to be very fast."

The first major international event at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will be the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, which takes place on November 16-18 this year.

Tickets for the event were snapped up in just 25 minutes and although Sir Chris will not compete, he said he will attend as he takes a short break from the sport.

"I'm looking forward to coming back for the World Cup as a spectator – it will be great to see the riders perform in front of a packed crowd," said the cyclist, who was recently named as the first Official Ambassador for Glasgow 2014.

"This Velodrome will make such a difference to cycling in Scotland.

"It will be the new home of cycling in this country and will hopefully help to inspire the next generation of cyclists."

Construction on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow is now complete

The venue has a permanent capacity for 2,000 seated and 500 standing spectators, which can be increased to 4,000 seats during major events such as Glasgow 2014.

It is adjacent the new Commonwealth Sports Arena, which will also be opened on Friday, as the £113 million ($177 million/€144 million) complex gears up to become one of the main focal points for Glasgow 2014.

"Sir Chris Hoy is a marvellous ambassador for sport and for Glasgow 2014," said Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg.

"It is an honour to see him become the first person to cycle in this wonderful velodrome today, which is aptly named after him as Britain's greatest Olympian.

"In less than two years' time, millions of people around the world will witness the best sportsmen and women from around the Commonwealth competing here.

"Track cycling provided some of the great and memorable dramas of London 2012 and there's no doubt that this velodrome will create a fantastic setting for records to be broken and medals to be won as part of an outstanding Commonwealth Games."

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