Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has said he is "pushing on" healthwise as he prepares to host his annual charity cycling challenge, Tour de 4, this weekend. Appearing live on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday (September 2) with his wife Lady Sarra Hoy, he told hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay that the couple are "really excited" ahead of the event.
Hoy was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in September 2023, with the news announced publicly a year later. His cancer has spread to his bones. Since his diagnosis, he has called for a national screening programme and urged more men to get tested for prostate cancer.
Tour de 4 event details
Tour de 4 will take place on Sunday (September 6), starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. It features four distinct routes tailored to different fitness and ability levels. The event aims to change public perceptions of living with a late-stage diagnosis and raise funds for cancer support services across the UK.
Asked how he was, Hoy replied: "We're busy, all going well. It's a busy week leading up to the Tour de 4. Healthwise, [I'm] good. Pushing on. But yeah, it's just a really exciting time. Watching that little montage there, brings back the memories and we're both really excited."
Living with stage 4 cancer
Sarra added: "Yeah, really excited, and keeping well. And who would have thought a year on and here we are, still raring to go. There's just so much encouragement and energy from everybody that is really helping feed us."
When Sally Nugent noted that a stage 4 diagnosis is "the worst one that you can get," Hoy explained: "In that moment, when you're given that news, all hope is stripped away. And as you say, there's no stage five, six, seven, eight. So, it's like, 'Well, this is the end of the line.'"
He added: "And for many people, sadly they don't have that much time. But [if you do] a bit of homework, you realise that some people can live for many, many, many years with stage 4 cancer. So, aside from the money, [the] fundraising element to it, the aim with Tour de 4 is to show that while life goes on, make the most of it... And there's so many people within the bunch who are exactly the same as me, who are living with stage 4 cancer."
Hoy also revealed that spectators will be able to distinguish those living with stage 4 cancer at this weekend's event, as they will each be wearing a "special" armband.
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am. For more information or support about living with prostate cancer, visit Prostate Cancer UK.
