Sir Chris Hoy says he is “doing well”, and “going way better” on the bike since chemotherapy, following “terminal” cancer diagnosis that took “away all hope”

The six-time Olympic champion and 49-year-old British track cycling icon was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in September 2023, after what began as a scan for a shoulder injury revealed tumours in his bones.

After months of treatment, he made the news public in February last year, and then, in October, revealed the full extent of his prognosis: that his cancer is incurable, with doctors estimating that he has two to four years to live.

In a recent interview with The Times, Hoy described the emotional hit of the diagnosis as something that “takes away all the hope.” He said: “With stage one, two or three, there’s always hope that actually you can beat this. Stage four essentially means you’re never going to get rid of it. It will always come back at some point; it is a terminal diagnosis.”

While Hoy acknowledged that he’s no longer at his athletic peak — “about 20 per cent down” on power compared to pre-diagnosis, he also pointed out that he’s enjoying riding his bike, and is even squatting 160 kilogrammes.

> Sir Chris Hoy reveals cancer diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live: “I’m feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown”

That hasn’t made accepting physical decline any easier, though, he said. In May last year, just two months after chemo, he joined a group ride in Greece and quickly realised he was struggling more than expected.

“You want to be able to enjoy it, and not just suffer and struggle, but it’s very hilly there and we rode for half an hour uphill from the start, and it was obvious to myself that my physical level wasn’t where it was before. I wasn’t able to ride and talk going up the hill, and I found it difficult, and that was the point where I really understood: I’ve got to reset here and not compare myself to where I used to be.”

Chris Hoy Autumn 10 (credit: road.cc)

Hoy admitted that there was something “ridiculous” about that realisation. “I could have just ridden at any pace, I could have throttled back 10 per cent and been quite comfortable,” he said. “But one thing cancer definitely hasn’t sapped is the competitive spirit.”

Just a few months later, in October, he returned to those same hills in Greece — and was flying. “It’s nice that you can see progress,” he said. “You assume that everything is heading one way, everything is getting worse, everything is going downhill, and it’s not. I’ve been able to get fitter in the last 18 months; post-chemo, I’ve been able to improve.”

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Hoy also shared a story about getting his “arse kicked” last week during a Zwift event in Mallorca with Cavendish, Russell Downing and a group of former teammates and pros.

He said: “We’d been up the mountains the day before, and I’d sort of hung in there and just managed to get around. But on the final day it was pretty flat, and in the group we were rolling along at quite a pace and there was this little kind of kicker and I thought: ‘I’ll just give it a little squeeze,’ which I think was perceived by everybody else as some sort of an attack.

“I’d basically poked the hornet’s nest, and everybody then started going, and Cav attacked, and then we turned this corner and it was a proper climb and I was like: ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’”

He added, laughing: “It’s about still using the competitive spirit to push you on… In that regard, actual events and goals remain a driving force.”

Green Oil criticised for "really poor taste" Sir Chris Hoy posts (credit: road.cc)

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Despite the hardships, which also include his wife Sarra being diagnosed with incurable multiple sclerosis, Hoy has proven to be as determined as he was while racing in the velodromes in Beijing and London.

“I want to turn up looking and feeling as fit and healthy as I possibly can, I want to be an example”

Now, he’s aiming to reshape how people view a stage four diagnosis with the help of ‘Tour de 4’, a mass-participation ride and awareness day centred around the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow this September.

“I thought: I’d like to do something that reflects how I’m feeling right now — that, actually, life goes on,” he said. “A lot of people are living with stage four.”

The event will offer three ride distances, plus static bikes on the velodrome infield for those unable to ride on the road. There’ll be a full cast of British sports icons — Andy Murray, Sir Jason Kenny, Mark Cavendish, Adam Peaty and Paddy McGuinness among those confirmed — but for Hoy, the most important riders are fellow stage four patients.

“The aim is to bring that community together,” he said. “And to change the perceptions of what a stage four diagnosis can look like. I hope it’s going to be a really positive, uplifting day… something to really look forward to.”

“A lot of people don’t really know what stage four means,” he continued. “I’d like to do something that reflects how I’m feeling right now — that, actually, life goes on. A lot of people are living with stage four.”

Chris Hoy 32 (credit: road.cc)

With his chemo complete (he only missed five full days of riding his bike throughout the treatment), the eleven-time world champion is now focusing his energy on Tour de 4 — not just turning up, but showing up strong.

“The Tour de 4 is a big goal for me,” he added. “Because I want to turn up looking and feeling as fit and healthy as I possibly can, I want to be an example.”

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He’s also been open about how he’s deliberately avoided Googling his prognosis. Instead, he turned to psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters to research people living with stage four prostate cancer. “I don’t Google anything about my diagnosis,” he said. “But I also didn’t want to turn my back on it… so I would ask Steve: ‘Can you go and find out about this?’”

Peters found two people who had lived more than 20 years with the same diagnosis — something Hoy describes as a turning point. “I’m not saying that I’m going to be that person,” he said. “But once you know something is possible, it’s a way of finding your own hope.”

“Cancer has taught me to try to not worry about the future. When you feel fear or stress, it’s all about trying to predict the future, and you may be wasting time worrying about the wrong thing entirely and it’s only going to spoil your life at the moment.”