Eurosport spent a minute with Great Britain cycling star Ed Clancy and found him to be a thoroughly agreeable fellow, albeit with dubious taste in music.

Who was your sporting hero?

Dougie Lampkin, the seven-times motorcyle trial world champion.

If you had not been a cyclist, what would you have done?

Maybe an engineer? That’s what I was going to take at university but the (cycling) academy came along in the same week!

If your house was burning down, what one possession would you save?

Girlfriend!

If you could sit down for dinner with any three people, who would they be?

Geraint Thomas, Carol Vorderman - I always fancied her a bit for some reason - and... Michael Schumacher or another sporting legend.

What would you cook them?

Spaghetti carbonara is about the only thing I can cook. Ideally I’d take them out.

What is your most annoying habit?

Biting my nails a lot.

What is the worst music you have ever bought?

Limp Bizkit, Blink 182 in my teens. I might still listen to them any now again.

What is the most embarrassing moment you have had on your bike?

Falling over on my side at a traffic light when you can’t get your act together in time.

Which fellow cyclist would you have the best time on a night out with?

Probably Geraint because he’s such an alchie and has very good banter.

You're allowed to make one novelty change to your sport - what would you do?

Track race with marbles - make it an elimination race! Or to clean up the sport for good - get everyone in and test them constantly for a year. God knows how you’d do it but it would separate off the cheats pretty fast.

Ed Clancy won team pursuit gold at the 2008 Olympic Games. His favoured individual pursuit race - plus the points race and madison - has been replaced by the multi-event omnium for the 2012 London Games.

Reda Maher / Eurosport