Video: Sir Chris Hoy tips Sir Bradley Wiggins to win fifth Olympic gold in Rio

Sir Chris Hoy says that fellow cycling knight Sir Bradley Wiggins is Britain’s greatest ever all round cyclist – and is backing him to win the fifth Olympic gold medal of his career in the team pursuit at Rio 2016.

Hoy was speaking in his role as ambassador for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in an interview in which he also reflects on the impact the 1986 Games, held in his home city of Edinburgh, had on him personally – including introducing him to track cycling.

Days after winning his fourth Olympic gold medal in the individual time trial last summer, Wiggins and wife Cath were spectators in London’s Olympic Velodrome as Stephen Burke, Ed Clancy, Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas blew away the Australians to successfully defend the team pursuit title he himself had helped Team GB win in Beijing four years earlier.

Hoy amassed seven Olympic medals in his career – six gold and one silver – while Wiggins himself has the same number, four of them gold, plus one silver and two bronze.

Last week Wiggins confirmed that he had set Olympic gold in the team pursuit at Rio as his major goal as his career enters its twilight years and that he would not be targeting a second Tour de France title to add to last year’s historic win.

However, he did say he could ride in support of the man who succeeded him to that title, Sky team mate Chris Froome.