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Hoy explains: "There is nothing in track cycling to compare with winning the Olympics. It is the be all and end all.
"It was great to regain the World Championship but if I hadn't won the Olympic gold, the season would have been empty."
Graeme Obree said: "At the Olympics, the previous three rides had all broken the world record so he had to go faster than he had ever gone to win the gold."
In what will be remembered as one of the most exciting Olympic events of all time, the sea level world record for the one kilometre time trial was broken four times within 15 minutes.
Hoy had to wait and watch as Shane Kelly, Stefan Nimke and then Arnaud Tournant all break the record, with Tournant becoming the first man to ride one kilometre in less than 61 seconds, before he got his opportunity.
Through this Hoy had to make sure no negative thoughts broke his concentration.
He recalls: "Any athlete who says they are 100 per cent confident all the time is not telling the truth but I did think I was in the best possible condition.
"In a time trial you have no impact on the other competitors because you are racing against the clock but I thought if someone was going to beat me they would have to be riding extremely well."
Hoy's next target is the 2006 Commonwealth Games in an attempt to retain the gold, won in the one kilometre time trial in Manchester in 2002, when he beat England's Olympic champion Jason Queally and became the first Scot to win a gold in cycling.
Although many consider the Commonwealth Games a poor cousin to the Olympics, for Hoy they are important. He said: "It is the only time I get to ride for my country." And perhaps now living in Manchester makes the games even more important to the patriotic Scot.
He added: "It is strange to compete against the guys who have been my team mates for the last three and a half years but it is the only competition where I can wear the blue Scotland jersey and hear Scotland the Brave, if I manage to win an event."
Although Hoy has won everything his discipline has to offer, he has no intention of giving up the life of gruelling training and sacrifices that is the lot of the serious cyclist. "I still get enjoyment from training, in fact I love the whole process of being a track cyclist; the camaraderie with the other riders, travelling all over the world, the lifestyle and the satisfaction from winning.
"As long as I enjoy the training I will keep cycling professionally."
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