Rio 2016: Great Britain sprint star Philip Hindes in a spin over Shane Sutton factor

If the Great Britain cycling team is a happier camp – or indeed, an unhappier camp - since the resignation of Shane Sutton as technical director, it is a road down which sprint star Philip Hindes refuses to pedal. In fact, the silence from Team GB members is deafening.

Sutton quit his post in April following allegations of sexism, discrimination and making inappropriate remarks towards riders– he protests his innocence and expects to be “totally exonerated” by an independent review – but the turbulence lingers for the GB squad as they fly to the Rio Games.

In May, Andy Harrison, the interim head, was accused of sending an email to riders in the aftermath of the Sutton saga, warning them that speaking out on the subject could affect how they are supported in the future. The email was leaked. “You are free to say yes or no to interviews, but how you respond will be a big factor in our ability to support you as the current season unfolds,” he was accused of writing. He back-pedalled when confronted by it, admitting the first sentence was misleading.

All this may explain why Hindes, the 2012 gold medal-winner who will lead out the track sprint team again in Rio, is treading so carefully. What’s the mood like post-Sutton then? “Us sprinters are doing our own thing really,” the 23-year-old says. “We just turn up to the track and train and talk to our physiologists and coaches about what we could do better.

“It’s definitely a changed management style,” he adds of Harrison being in charge - a sign he may be pushing the door ajar for us, letting us in - “but I don’t think for us athletes - we don’t really see the change.” Slam.

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“There’s been a change but it’s not a significant change for us. Shane was working with the management and coaches. It’s just pretty much the same. Shane’s always been on the track and has been a big character so, but, er, you know, Andy is just a different person. It’s just been a different, how can you say, it’s just been the same, pretty much.” All very contradictory.

Is it a slightly different vibe? “Yeah, you could say,” he adds. How? At this point Hindes’ agent asks if we can stick to talking about the Olympics. I thought we were.

“Nothing has changed. It hasn’t affected us at all,” Hindes concludes. But has it damaged British cycling’s image? “I can’t really comment on that. I just do my job. I haven’t really thought about it.”

Whether that is a flavour of the nervousness around the British cycling team or Hindes operates in a bubble is hard to tell. And maybe it’s right that his focus is on what happens on the track. He can taste gold again.

Hindes was born in North Rhine-Westphalia to an English army-serving father and a German mother and speaks with a thick German accent having only joined British cycling when he was 18. Within a year he had won gold in London when he led out the three-man track sprint team of himself, Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny in a delirious velodrome.

This time, with his friend Hoy – “we meet for coffee, he is good for advice” – retired, it is Hindes, Callum Skinner and Kenny. Skinner is the newcomer that Hindes was four years ago. But the road to Rio for the trio has been bumpy as the new man has tried to fit in. They finished sixth at the World Championships in London earlier this year.

“Callum is doing really well in training,” Hindes says. “He’s improving and going as fast as he’s ever gone - so I think we’ll be on for a medal. We’ve always had the speed but the most important part for a team sprint is the start and for some reason we’ve struggled with that.

“He’s been trying to improve his start for the last two years and he can see the benefit of it now. He’s starting to get it on so hopefully it should be good for Rio. It takes a lot of work to improve your start and I think he’s there now.”

So is Hindes really confident of gold? “Before London it was the same – it depended on me at the start. The last week you start tapering properly and you get that feeling in the Village and that can lift you up. I think we could win gold if we have a really good day and our team sprint stays together. We are definitely in for gold then.”

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Sixth at the World Championships would suggest not but that does not concern Hindes. “We dropped our Man Three [at the start] and we lost a lot of time but we were not disappointed because we were only a 1,000th [of a second] off third. If our Man Three had stayed on we would have been in the final. That is the positive we can take and it’s a good sign that we could win a medal in Rio. If the team stays together and everything goes smoothly we could even win gold again.”

If they do it will be one down seven to go in terms of hitting the target UK Sport have set out for the cyclists. Is that fair? Hindes is less than enlightening. “I don’t know,” he says. “We can only try our best. We can’t really change anything. If we win less medals [than eight] we have tried our best. What happens happens.”

OK… thanks for that. So who does he think could win in Team GB? “Everyone pretty much,” he adds, the dim light fading. “We are all in good shape and hopefully we can all win a gold. But there is competition, things can go wrong, so we’ll see on the day. If we win, we win. If we don’t, move on – there’s nothing you can do.”

There is actually something you can do. And Hindes did it at the start of the final in London when he fell as his team got off to a poor start. If this happens the rules permit a restart. In a BBC interview immediately after the race Hindes admitted his fall was not a complete accident. A short time later his story had changed somewhat. Would he do that again, I ask with a chuckle? “I’m not even going to comment on that,” comes his reply.

He must look back fondly on London generally, I dare to ask. “It was a great experience.” Is his medal on his mantelpiece? “I’ve got it hidden so no one can see it.” Will he stay on in Rio after the cycling and party, soak up the ambience? “I will come back a bit earlier before the Closing Ceremony because I will want to come home and see my girlfriend. I stayed to the Closing Ceremony in London and I feel like I just want to come home a bit earlier.”

It’s serious stuff this cycling lark.

Olympic Gold medallist, Philip Hindes MBE, is supporting a campaign by AXA Insurance to encourage the nation to Live Boldly and take up new and interesting hobbies. Find out more at www.axa.co.uk/liveboldly