London 2012 Olympics: Crowds gather to salute the pride of Edinburgh

Basking in the sunshine at Festival Square, tourists and office workers joined in applauding and cheering as Sir Chris became the most successful British Olympian of all time.

Joining the crowd was Craig Burn, chief executive of Scottish Cycling, who said the victory was a “momentous day” for British sport and cycling.

“I think we have proven we are the No1 cycling nation in terms of performance now. The challenge for us is how we actually turn that into participation and ultimately our 150 clubs out there are at the heart – the grass roots of our sport has got to be our No1 priority,” he said.

“Our job now is to nurture this talent, to use this wave we have in front of us to promote the sport and make it more attractive than it already is.

“Sir Chris is unbelievable, what an absolute hero to win six gold medals! It is an absolutely momentous day for British sport and for cycling – it is absolutely out of this world.

“Undoubtedly, Chris Hoy is a household name. Ultimately, we talk about inspiring youth and a generation, but I think this is about inspiring Scotland and the UK behind sport. It is not just about young people, because for sport to be successful and for those young people to have a club to go to, we need adults, we need volunteers, we need coaches and all sorts of things.”

After Sir Chris hinted that he might make the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Mr Burn said: “We absolutely want Chris to be on the track at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for the Commonwealth Games and be in good shape for that.”

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said: “Sir Chris Hoy’s gold medal caps another brilliant day for our cyclists and Team GB as a whole.

“It was a privilege to be at the velodrome to see it happen first-hand. Today will go a long way to showing young Scottish athletes what they can achieve with dedication and the right team behind them.”