Cycling: Phillips ready for BMX rollercoaster ride in Rio (Reuters)

“You can’t take your feet off the pedals and kick somebody but after that pretty much anything can happen.” For sheer intensity, thrills and spills, the BMX races on the rollercoaster-like Deodoro course at next month’s Rio Olympics will have no equal. Medal hopes can vanish in the blink of an eye — as Phillips knows all to well after crashing in the final in London four years ago having recovered from a broken collarbone just in time to take his place on the team. While BMX racing can look chaotic, it is an extremely technical sport and the power produced by the world’s top riders is similar to that put down by track sprinters like Chris Hoy, Britain’s most successful Olympian.