Remember the fuss Liverpool made when it looked as if they would not enjoy the chance to defend their Champions League title?

Well, imagine if - more than barring entry to the competition - UEFA simply abolished it altogether.

That is the situation Chris Hoy faced at around the same time last summer when the International Cycling Union (UCI) chose to delete the kilometre time trial from the Olympic programme.

The decision effectively sealed the fate of the event won by Hoy in Athens and Jason Queally in Sydney four years earlier. Without Olympic patronage it is likely to wither on the vine.

And for Hoy, who has dedicated the last five years of his life to the kilometre and was the best bet to win it again in Beijing, it was devastating.

However, the Edinburgh cyclist, making final preparations to defend his Commonwealth title in Melbourne next month, is as close to being reconciled to the decision as could be expected.

"I could stamp my feet and cry and chuck the rattle out of the pram but it wouldn't do me any good," said Hoy - a product of George Watson's College, the alma mater of Malcolm Rifkind, David Steel, as well as Gavin and Scott Hastings.

The UCI moved to cut the kilometre, together with its women's equivalent, the 500 metres, from the Olympics under pressure from the International Olympic Committee who wanted to make room for the inclusion of BMX racing in 2008.

"They said it was to cut down on numbers but it won't cut down on a single rider because every rider in the kilo competes in something else," added Hoy.

"All it's saving is half an hour of track time and three medals. You don't need any extra facilities, extra officials.

"They've done nothing they set out to achieve."

As well an Olympic gold medallist, the 29-year-old is also a two-time world champion in the kilometre, a run which was kicked off by a barnstorming performance in Manchester four years ago when Hoy beat Queally into second place to win gold for Scotland.

"That was an amazing night - not a night I was expecting," said Hoy.

"I was just hoping to do the best ride I could and it kick-started everything for me."

Hoy is favourite to win again in Melbourne when Queally - now firmly in veteran territory at 35 - will hope to spring a suprise victory.

The Englishman was a step higher than Hoy on the podium when he collected silver at last year's World Championships but the Scot concedes he was out of form last March, still feeling the after-shocks of winning an Olympic gold.

"It was hard to get back the hunger, it's a spartan lifestyle," he said.

"We had a lot of celebrations and I got to do a lot of fun things. Now it's, 'Okay, it's happened but that's not the end of it, it's time to reset your goals and put it to one side'."

Looking ahead to Beijing and London 2012 beyond that, Hoy is determined to win more Olympic golds - even if the kilometre has been mothballed - and is hoping the team sprint will allow him to become a double Olympic champion.

He has won two world titles in the three-man event, one of them with fellow Scot Craig MacLean and the two of them will team up with Ross Edgar to form a formidable trio in Melbourne.

MacLean is the fastest first-lap rider in history while Edgar is a rising star of British Cycling's internationally renowned world-class performance programme.

It is the event widely regarded within the British cycling team as the one that got away in Athens when expectations of at least a medal and at best a gold were scuppered by a poor performance in the qualifying round.

As far as the kilometre goes, Hoy does retain some ambitions - victory in Melbourne, regaining his world title in Bordeaux in April and, possibly, a shot at the world record.

The latter would involve a trip to the high altitude, if primitive, velodrome at La Paz in Bolivia where Arnaud Tournant made the sub-minute mark thought to be impossible at sea level.

Hoy set a new Olympic record in beating Tournant in Athens and is confident he can break the Frenchman's record in Bolivia but getting sponsors to finance the attempt could be the toughest obstacle.

"If I win the worlds again I don't think I'd have that much more to prove and I'd like the world record just for my own satisfaction," he said.

Hoy added: "People think when you become an Olympic champion you just get money thrown at you. Ker-ching - you're a millionaire!

"But you really have to work for every penny. You have to chase it."

However, as much as life after winning an Olympic gold medal has its downs as well as its ups, Hoy still takes delight in getting on two wheels and trying to go faster than anyone else in the world.

"Ultimately, I didn't take up cycling to become a millionaire - it was for the sport," he said.

"I'm very luck to do a job I'm passionate about."