Sir Chris Hoy’s management launches legal action against bike maintenance brand over “distressing” video linking cancer diagnosis to use of rival company’s chain lube

Update, 17/01/25: Since this story was published, Green Oil has removed the posts directly linking Sir Chris Hoy’s cancer diagnosis to rival company Muc-Off’s chain lube, and has reportedly apologised to the six-time Olympic champion. Hoy’s representatives have said they now “consider the matter closed”.

Read the full story here: > Bike maintenance brand apologises to Sir Chris Hoy and removes video linking cycling legend’s cancer diagnosis to rival chain lube after legal action threatened

The original article continues below:

Representatives of six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy said that they had launched legal action against the owner of bicycle maintenance brand Green Oil this afternoon, after videos posted on the company’s social media accounts linked the cycling legend’s terminal cancer diagnosis to rival company Muc-Off’s chain lube. Several days after they first prompted a furious backlash, and after numerous requests from Hoy's representatives to delete them, the posts have now been removed.

In correspondence seen by road.cc, TGI Sport, the management agency which represents Hoy, contacted Green Oil owner Simon Nash requesting that the video – which asked if Hoy’s cancer diagnosis was caused by “PTFE bike lubricant exposure” – be removed with immediate effect.

road.cc understands that TGI Sport gave Nash until 3pm on Thursday 16 January to remove what they described as the “distressing” video, which appeared on Green Oil’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages last weekend, but said they are yet to receive a response, despite contacting Nash and Green Oil through various channels and threatening legal action.

The videos were not taken down by that time, and as a result TGI Sport said it had commenced legal action against the bike maintenance company.

When approached by road.cc, a spokesperson for Hoy said they were unable to comment on an ongoing legal matter, but added that both the agency and Hoy are aware of the video and are currently “taking action to get it removed as soon as possible”.

Since then, road.cc contacted Green Oil regarding the matter, and received no reply; but in the hours since, the video was deleted from Green Oil's social media channels. 

road.cc has contacted Hoy's representatives again to clarify if the situation has changed now that the video has been removed. 

Posted last weekend and universally condemned by the cycling community, the voiceover to Green Oil’s two-minute video said Hoy “was part of Team Sky”, who were “sponsored by the company Muc-Off”, a rival bicycle maintenance products brand.

The video then claimed Muc-Off “manufactured lubricants containing PTFE” and that “there is a link between PTFE production and cancer”.

It finished by asking, “What do you think? Is there a link here or not?” before transitioning to an advert promoting Green Oil’s products, including its chain lube.

Green Oil markets itself as “the world’s greenest bicycle maintenance products” brand and offers a range of chain lubes and cleaning products, some of which have received positive reviews on road.cc.

But they have been on the receiving end of widespread backlash this week, as cyclists united to condemn the “really poor taste” video and accuse the company of an “utterly scummy way to approach marketing”.

And on Monday, Muc-Off told road.cc that it was “in the process of reviewing our options regarding these false allegations” and expressed shock and sadness that Hoy had been “dragged into such squalid social media activity when he has other more important challenges right now”.

A spokesperson told us: “We are shocked and saddened that Chris Hoy has been dragged into such squalid social media activity when he has other more important challenges right now.

“There are comments about our brand that are simply wrong. To be clear, we do not use PTFE in any of our current product range as we took a decision many years ago to become 100 per cent PTFE free due to environmental concerns. We are in the process of reviewing our options regarding these false allegations.”

Since posting the video, Green Oil has replied to numerous comments and doubled down on its stance. In one reply, the brand said “the idea was to simply raise the question – and awareness”.

Without evidence to support the statement, another reply on the company’s Instagram page says: “A fit healthy man like Sir Chris Hoy shouldn't be getting cancer – it was likely caused by a carcinogen like PFOA.

“Will get in touch with him next week to see what he thinks, likely he would like people thinking about this to stop future victims of cancer don’t you think?”

road.cc contacted Green Oil for comment and received a lengthy reply in which many of the same claims were repeated, although there was an acknowledgement the video and posts were “misjudged”.

Hoy was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and told the public of the news in February 2024. In October, he announced that the diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live, adding that he is “feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown”.

> "The idea is to create a positive out of a negative": Cancer My Arse's Kev Griffiths on living with stage four cancer, Sir Chris Hoy, and why he's encouraging everyone to ride out of the saddle for charity

The NHS joined the cycling community and wider public in praising Hoy’s bravery, the 11-time world champion sprinter’s terminal cancer revelation prompting a near sevenfold increase in prostate cancer advice searches.

“Thanks to his bravery, we have seen a significant spike in people accessing vital information on our website about the signs and symptoms of cancer,” NHS England's National Clinical Director for Cancer Professor, Peter Johnson, said in a statement.

“One in two people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime and detecting the disease early gives the best chance of successful treatment.”

Responding to the figures released by the NHS, Hoy said the “massive increase” in men seeking advice has been a “huge comfort” to him and his family.

Hoy's website, with information on an upcoming memoir about his life since the diagnosis, can be found here. For advice on spotting symptoms of prostate cancer, you can visit this page on the NHS England website.